Unveiling the Mystery
by nickijae
Summary: Series of one-shots about the team learning a little about Robin (Dick Grayson). Not a part of my Nightwing is Den Mother series!
1. Voiced Frustration

**Voiced Frustration**

The team was lounging around the mountain. They knew that they would not have any missions for another week or so because of the failed simulation. Nobody blamed M'gann for the events, but there was some lingering anger towards Robin who had allowed the team to hope, even though he was leading them on a suicide mission. The idea that he had so easily sacrificed their lives without telling them that they were going to die, angered them.

Black Canary had tried to explain the necessity of Robin' decisions, but nobody had listened. Now they all sat together in the cave. Robin was separated from the rest of them, pretending that their ostracization did not hurt his feelings. Typing on his computer, he tried to ignore the heavy stares that were slowly turning into glares.

Finally, Artemis exploded. "Why are you just sitting there like nothings wrong. Like you didn't kill us all?"

Robin had knew this was coming. Looking up, he shut down his computer and looked up at his team. Kaldur was staring at him intently, Wally was glaring at him hard, Artemis looked ready to murder him, Connor was glaring at the floor, and M'gann was watching Connor worriedly.

Robin didn't know what she wanted to hear. It was a simulation, and it was over. None of them had ever experienced something like that, so unlike him, they were overwhelmed by their emotions. He had experienced real loss before, and while the simulation hurt, it was nothing like the gut-wrenching agony of experiencing it in real life.

Looking everyone in the eyes, he spoke in a very calm and even voice. "As far as I know, Artemis, you were dead long before I took the lead. Our esteemed leader sacrificed himself, which while noble, was counter productive. Like chess, the game ends when the King, the leader, dies. It doesn't matter as much if a pawn dies or when the knight dies. Connor, knew what he was doing when he worked as the distraction. He did what Superman would've done, and he fought until he couldn't fight anymore. Wally, man, you knew exactly what was coming for the both of us. And M'gann, you have no right to be mad as you lived, and as long as someone lives to fight another day, we all win."

"My friend, we watched our mentors and friends die. How are you so calm?" Unlike the others, Kaldur did not seem angry or accusatory.

"You guys have never actually lost someone, have you?" Robin let go of part of his calm facade, and allowed some of his incredulousness show.

"Like you have?" Artemis snorted.

"I have. And let me tell you something. As amazing as M'gann's powers are to have gained control from J'onn, she didn't actually have the experience to make that pain feel real. The pain of losing an uncle, a brother, or a father is so much worse. It's soul sucking. Especially if you watch it happen. I watched my parents be murdered when I was eight, I remember the feeling quite well. While I may not have consciously known it was a simulation, I did know that something was not right. I watched the man I call a father die. The second father of mine to die in five years, but I felt nothing." Robin surveyed their stricken looks before saying, "I know the feeling of loss. Whatever your feeling now doesn't even compare, so stop feeling sorry for yourselves."

With that, Robin got up and started walking to the Zeta Beams. "Wait! You're telling us that it doesn't bother you that we all died? That you died? That your best friends died?" Artemis asked.

"Of course it bothers me. But I won't let that rule my life. I'm going to keep on going, keep moving forwards, just like I always have." Looking over his shoulder he said, "Besides, when I signed up to be a hero, I knew that it may mean more pain and suffering, that it may mean that I lose the life of my friends or my own, that I might have to sacrifice myself for the good of the world. Didn't you?" With that, Robin walked out of the room leaving behind a contemplative team.

Kaldur spoke softly, "I do believe that Robin is wise beyond his years. He is correct, we may lose our own lives or that of a friend."

M'gann started to cry softly, clinging onto Connor. "What do we do? I don't want any of you to die!"

Kaldur smiled sadly before saying, "I don't think there is anything we can do. Just spend every moment living life to the fullest. If you cannot handle it, I don't think that being a hero is the right course of action for you." Pausing Kaldur looked around. "I think that it would do well for us to remember that although Robin is the youngest, he is the most experienced by far." The team nodded silently before the room once again lapsed into silence.

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 **A/N: I don't really know...this just came to mind so I figured that I write it. I'm still writing Babysitting the Wayne's, I just needed to get this idea out of my head so that I could continue to write the other story. This story will be a series of one-shots. As always, Review!**


	2. Family Day

**Family Day**

The team was sitting around the kitchen trying to figure out what to do with their day. Robin had disappeared into his room shortly beforehand, and now they were waiting for him to come out, so they could discuss their plans with him.

M'gann suddenly perked up. "Why don't we go to the mall? On TV that's what normal teenagers do. We could always stop and see a movie." The rest of the team nodded their agreement and decided that when the youngest member of the team arrived, they would inform him of their plans.

The Zeta Beams activated and a figure walked out while the machine said _Batman 01._ If the machine had not announced it to be Batman, Connor would have never have recognized the man. He was wearing a pair of sweatpants, a white shirt, and Ray Bans. He held a gym bag over his shoulder and seemed to be studying the team.

Glancing down at his watch he asked, "Where's Robin? We need to go." He said this with Batman's standard growl, which shocked the team because it somehow sounded wrong coming from the man in front of them.

Running into the room, Robin was dressed in the same manner as Batman. He also had a gym bag over his shoulder. Robin stopped right in front of Batman and to the team's surprise, Batman ruffled his hair. "Do we still have time to do everything? Or am I too late?"

"We still have time, we just need to leave now Kiddo." The Bats started walking to the Zeta Beams with Robin bouncing next to his mentor. The team followed the duo thinking that they could attend whatever event the Bats were going to.

Seeing that his team was following him, Robin turned around and asked, "Where are you guys going?"

The team looked at him with confusion. "With you two, Bro. It's team bonding day remember?"

Robin seemed confused before asking, "What are you talking about?"

"Remember? I told you last night as you were going back to Gotham. You said, 'Yeah, yeah, see you then.'" Wally said sounding irritated. The kid was a certified genius, why couldn't he remember a conversation from the night before?

Robin continued to look confused before a look of realization passed over his face. "Dude. I was talking to Batman over comms."

"Robin, we really have to go soon." Batman reminded from his place besides Robin.

"So. Where are you two going?" Asked Artemis.

"We're going to Bruce Wayne's charity 'fun run.' It's a giant course with rock walls, mud pits, rappelling, swimming in Gotham Bay and more surprises. You have to do it in partners, so me and Batman decided that we're doing it together a couple months ago when the event was first announced." Robin explained while checking the clock.

"That sounds so fun Robin! Do you think that we could join you guys?" M'gann asked while excitedly clapping her hands.

"Sorry Ms. M, to participate, you had to buy a ticket and those sold out about a month ago. It's surprising because the tickets aren't cheap, all the money earned goes to building new orphanages. I guess everyone wants to see Bruce Wayne and his son race together." Robin explained. "Sorry guys, but we really need to go if we want to make it on time."

With that Robin and Batman left to Gotham. Artemis turned to Wally and hit the back of his head. "Hey! What was that for!"

"You didn't realize that he was talking on his comm? Really Wally! Way to pay attention Kid Idiot!" Artemis replied sharply.

Wally suddenly looked like he had a brilliant idea. "Guys! He said they were going to Bruce Wayne's charity event!"

"So?" Connor asked impatiently.

"I bet that's a televised event!" Wally explained excitedly. "Let's see if we can spot them from the cameras!"

* * *

They never did find Batman and Robin. They were probably blending in with the crowd, laughing at the fact that nobody realized who they were. They did, however, watch Bruce Wayne and his son Richard. They were both wearing dark blue muscle shirts and black athletic shorts. They seemed to be having so much fun as Richard snuck up behind Bruce and shoved him face first into the mud puddle. When Bruce made a dramatic gesture, telling Richard that he couldn't possibly continue, Richard grabbed him by the foot and dragged him through the mud. When his shirt slid up, Gotham's leading ladies got a good look at Bruce Wayne's muscular chest before it was covered in mud. The two of them might have come in close to last, but they were laughing the entire time.

* * *

As soon as Bruce and Dick were in the car that was waiting for them outside of the Zeta Tube exit, they changed clothes. Bruce had guessed that the team would want to know where they were going and said that they should bring other gym clothes. As they completed the transformation into Bruce Wayne and Richard Grayson-Wayne, Bruce turned to Dick and said, "Hey Chum?"

Noticing the softness in Bruce's voice, Dick turned to fully face his father. "Yeah Dad?"

Bruce smiled softly at the new title. Dick had taken to calling him 'Dad' recently, and he had never been so happy before in his life. "I'm glad you're my partner."

"You're always going to be my partner, even if I'm no longer Robin, even if I live in a different city, you and me, we're permanent." Dick said with a faint blush rising up his cheeks.

Bruce smiled for real now. "Let's go make fools of ourselves partner."

Dick gave a blinding grin. "Ready when you are."

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 **A/N: So cute little fluffy Bruce and Dick bonding chapter. Thanks for reading! Please review! PM me if you have anything that you want me to write!**


	3. Dressing Up

**Dressing Up**

Robin kept glancing at the clock on his holo-computer. The team was coming back from a mission on the bioship, but they weren't going fast enough. Turning in his seat, he interrupted the happy chattering of the team asking, "Is it possible to go any faster M'gann?"

Seeing M'gann's hurt expression, Conner turned to Conner demanded, "Do you not want to spend time with us?"

Robin looked up distractedly before glancing back down at the clock. "No I have somewhere really important to be in half an hour. Can't miss it or be late without my date and Batman killing me. Can you just drop me off at the nearest Zeta Beam?"

Ignoring the question, Wally exclaimed, "You have a date! Seriously! Let me meet her!"

Zatanna did not look impressed. "Yeah Robin. Let us meet her. She's gotta be special to get your attention. So who is this special girl. Maybe we know her."

Completely missing Zatanna's tone, Robin replied. "Yeah sure maybe I'll bring her to the cave soon. Batman's been talking about introducing her to you guys."

Artemis yells, "You're bringing a civilian to the cave! Scratch that, a civilian knows who you are! This girl is a product of your hormones and your telling me she knows the most well guarded secret not only in Gotham but in the world! You won't even tell us, your teammates, but you'll tell your date!"

Robin looked confused. "My date is Batgirl, so yeah she knows who I am. And no Wally, Batgirl is not my sister, in fact she's not related to me or Batman in anyway. And no M'gann, Batman is not biologically related to me at all." Robin said without looking up from his computer. I'm really late guys. We need to hurry, I'm do not want to die tonight."

The team nodded and hurried back to the cave. When they arrived, Robin ran in a speed that would've made the flash proud to his room. Five minutes later, he came out wearing a white dress shirt, a black vest, and black dress pants. He was carrying what looked like a very expensive suit jacket over his shoulder, and an emerald green tie hung untied around his neck.

Waving good bye to the team, Robin jumped into the Zeta Beam and disappeared.

Wally turned to the team before saying in an utterly serious voice. "Guys. He's on a date with Batgirl. There's a Batgirl."

* * *

Bruce was checking his watch again when Dick ran into the room with Alfred following him so that he could tie the boy's tie. Turning to his father he asked, "Am I late? I tried so hard to be on time."

Bruce raised an eyebrow before saying, "You're on time in my eyes, but try explaining that to you date."

Bruce nodded his head, and Dick looked over his shoulder to where a very angry Babs was marching to them. Turning to his father, Dick managed to mutter out, "Help me." before his date dragged him away. Bruce laughed with Alfred before he too was being dragged away by his date.

* * *

The team watched as Richard Grayson handed Commissioner Gordon a check for a million dollars for new police gear and bettering the Gotham streets. Hanging on Richard's arm was the Commissioner's daughter Barbara. For a second, they saw a flash of an emerald green tie, which matched his date's dress. The team looked at eachother for a second before Zatanna muttered, "Is it possible?"

Artemis burst out laughing. "That kid is a mathlete and is bullied at school. Plus do you really think the Police Commissioner would allow his daughter to be Batgirl?" With that everyone burst out laughing.

Wally laughed along somewhat uneasily. Robin would have a lot of explaining to do.

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 **A/N: Just a fun little chapter. Please review!**


	4. Richie Rich

**Richie Rich**

Robin was bored. He had finished his homework hours ago and now was watching the rest of his teammates do mundane tasks. "Do you guys want to do something? Maybe we can go to the Happy Harbor Mall? Watch a movie, eat some pizza, just do something!" He said while jumping around. Anything was better than sitting in the cave for another five minutes.

"Sorry, Rob. I don't have any cash." Wally explained. "Used the last of it to buy that new chemistry set."

"I need to save my money to buy my mom's medicine." Artemis explained. "And the rest of our little group are aliens and therefore don't have any cash."

"I am Atlantian. But yes, I do not have any surface money." Kaldur explained softly.

"If it's just about money, I can pay! I just got my allowence." Robin explained excitedly. When everyone but Wally burst out laughing, he looked around curiously. "What?"

"Do you realize how much food costs with Kid Idiot around? Not to mention the cost of six movie tickets. Sorry Rob, but you can't afford to pay for all of us." Artemis laughed.

Robin took his wallet out of his back pocket. Opening it he pulled out the cash. He made a show of slowly counting the neatly folded bills. "One, two, three, four, five. I don't know Artemis, are you sure that I can't pay? I still have a credit card if that's not enough."

Artemis stared with wide eyes at the five crisp one hundred dollar bills in Robin's hands. She had to open and close her mouth twice before she found her voice. "Where did you get all that money? And how can you possibly have access to more?"

Robin cocked his head to the side. "I have access to both mine and my father's account. Obviously, if I needed a lot more money, I'd go with my father's. Now can we go already?"

With that Robin dashed to the Zeta Beams. "How much money does that kid have?" Artemis exclaimed with wide eyes.

Nobody but Superboy heard Wally mutter, "You have no idea."

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 **A/N: Just a short little chapter. I haven't posted anything to this story for a little while, sooo...Anyways, Reviewr**


	5. Using a Man's Kryptonite

**Using a Man's Kryptonite**

Robin was pissed. That was the only way to describe the intense emotion that he was feeling. He had not felt such undiluted rage since he faced off against Tony Zucco, but know as he watched Superboy destroy more and more training equipment because he could not properly control his strength, he felt that rage again. Superman needed to step up, and if he was not going to do it after Bruce Wayne asked him nicely, he was going to do it because Dick Grayson asked, and he was going to wish that he had stepped up sooner.

* * *

Clark Kent sighed as he loosened his tie and walked out of the Daily Planet. It had been a long day, and Lois had disappeared half-way through the day saying that she had an important phone call to take and that she would not be back. Now he just wanted to go home.

As he walked across the street, he saw a familiar looking young man walking into a diner. The teen was wearing a white button down with the sleeves rolled up, a vest and a bright red tie. Clark could not help but follow the teen into the restaurant, there was something about the kid that was really familiar and maybe if he saw his face, he would recognize him.

When Clark walked into the diner, he immediately decided that it was a mistake. Freshly seated, Dick Grayson smirked at him and motioned for him to join him. Clark walked resignedly over to the table. He knew that Dick was here to talk to him about Superboy. What surprised him the most though, was that he had not recognized the boy. Dick was surprisingly grown up looking now, and was no longer the goofy eight year old boy that Bruce had taken in.

Sitting down, Clark prepared himself for the lecture that he was about to get. Surprisingly, Dicksaid nothing, just continued to flip through the menu. When the waitress walked over, Clark watched as Dick gave her a flirty smile. "I'm stuck between the apple pie and the blueberry pie. What's your recommendation…" Dick paused for a second and glanced at her name tag, "Annabelle?" The waitress giggled and Dick smiled softly before raising an eyebrow.

After the waitress left, Dick turned to face Clark once more. Seeing the man's amused face, Dick smile disappeared. "What?"

"It's obvious who you live with when you act like that. Let's get to the point, why are you here?" Clark asked looking Dick straight in the eyes.

Glancing down at his watch Dick replied, "Patience Clark, we still have a little time. I want to enjoy my pie."

When Annabelle brought the pie over, Dick spent a few minutes flirting with her again. Clark did not know what to think. Why was Dick here if not to lecture him. So far the teen had ordered pie and flirted but had yet to mention why he had travelled all the way to Metropolis to begin with.

Suddenly Dick smiled widely. He stood up and greeted someone behind Clark. Clark glanced over his shoulder and paled. Standing there were both of his parents and Lois. He scrambled up and hugged both of his parents and kissed Lois' cheek. Lois sat down next to Dick and his parents sat next to him.

Glancing around slowly Clark did not know what to feel. Why were they all here? What was Dick's goal here? Dick smiled at everybody and waved Annabelle over. "Does anyone want to order anything?" He asked. "It's on me." Everybody ordered water and Dick ordered another slice of pie.

Once he received his pie, Dick thanked the waitress and turned back to the group. "Mr. and Mrs. Kent thank you for coming on such short notice."

"It was no problem dear, especially because you sent us your private jet." Mrs. KEnt answered softly with an affectionate smile.

"And thank you Lois for offering to pick them up for me. I would've liked to do it myself, but Bruce is not happy when I skip class, even though I learned how to do the things we're learning years ago. My principal refuses to let me skip another grade because then I'd be taking my classes at Gotham University."

"It's really no problem Dick, I like my in-laws. Besides, it's the only way I get embarrassing stories." Lois laughed.

"I have plenty of those Lois, if you want to exchange some later." Dick smirked. Adopting a more serious expression on his face, Dick continued. "Now for the reason we're all really here. Clark has a son that he just found out about and is refusing to not only raise him, but train him. The boy is out of control, and needs help learning to regulate his strength. Nobody can help him but Clark. Bruce has already had this conversation with Clark, but seeing as it did nothing, I decided to give it a go."

While everybody stared in shock at Clark, Dick smirked and delivered the finishing blow. "By the way Clark, his name is Conner. I just thought you might want to know." With that, Dick leaned back and his smirk widened as Clark's parents and Lois yelled at him.

Dick took a bite of pie and tried not to laugh as Clark desperately tried to explain that _Conner_ was not in face his son, but rather a clone made without his consent.

Dick almost snorted the pie out of his nose when he heard Mrs. Kent's response. She had whisper yelled that if she had found Clark in a spaceship and still called him her son, than he could call his clone a son or a younger brother.

Dick loved the moment that Lois asked why Clark did not know the boy's name and Clark had no response but to put his head in his hands. Lois had proceeded to rip the poor man a new one. Dick almost felt bad for him. Almost.

As the Kent family made a move to leave, Dick stood up and walked to the counter. Silently he paid for his party's food. When he noticed Annabelle smiling at him he smiled back. "You know who I am right?"

The waitress blushed softly and murmured, "Of course. You're famous."

Dick cocked his head to the side before asking, "Why did you leave me alone? Why not announce me to the restaurant, or better yet take photos of me to sell to the gossip magazines? You would get enough money to put your through school without having to work here."

The waitress blushed even more and glanced back to where the Kent's were still arguing loudly. "I figured you'd want some privacy. That looks personal."

Dick nodded his head. "Thanks. I left your tip on the table. Seeing the donation bin on the counter, Dick carefully read the label before taking out his wallet and putting a fifty dollar bill in the bin. Seeing that the Kent's were still not out the door, Dick squished past them and led them to the waiting limo.

* * *

Annabelle walked over to clean up the table that Dick Grayson had just left. Picking up the plate that had housed his pie, Annabelle let out a gasp. There, in a neat pile was a stack of hundred dollar bills. Gingerly, she picked them out and counted. The teen had left her one thousand dollars as a tip. She felt like she was going to faint. He had spent a total of thirty dollars on the bill, why had he tipped her that largely.

Looking down, she noticed a note. She read it silently before clutching it in her hand and walking away with a smile on her face.

 _Annabelle-_

 _I am never afforded much privacy because of who I am. I am really thankful that you allowed me to have some semblance of privacy today. Your service was outstanding because you treated me as a normal customer. Please except the money and use it to go to culinary school._

 _-Dick Grayson_

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 **A/N: Don't know where this came from but thought of it and had to write it. As always please review, and please check out my other stories!**


	6. Sometimes Your Best Isn't Enough

**Sometimes Your Best Isn't Enough**

The room was clouded in silence. Everybody was silent and staring off into space. Everyone except Robin. He was frowning while silently typing away on his computer. He did not seem to mind that the room had growing tensions. He silently ignored the tensions and continued on with hacking the CIA.

Finally the room exploded. "Why don't you care!" Artemis shrieked. Robin silently thought that she was always shrieking, never speaking in a normal tone. Robin continued to type on his computer, the question seemed to be rhetorical, and he was on a time limit.

Seeing that she was not getting a response, Artemis marched over and ripped the computer off his arm and threw it across the room. Robin hoped that it did not break. Batman would not be happy if he broke another holo-glove. He knew that he was slightly in shock and had yet to have processed their mission fully.

The mission had started off simply. They were supposed to stop a bank robbery in Keystone City but after entering the bank they found the problem. The hostages were not only held at gunpoint, but they were also rigged to explosives. Robin had immediately started on defusing the bombs, while the team distracted the gunmen. In the end, Robin had defused the bombs, but one of the gunmen had managed to shoot a hostage. Robin had instantly started first aid, but it was too late. The woman had died holding his hand.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Artemis once again shrieking and making a move to punch him. Catching her fist, he pushed it away and raised an eyebrow. "There a specific reason that you want to hit me, or did you just feel like punching someone?"

Artemis made a move to punch him again and he did a back handspring to avoid it. Facing her, he shouted, "You need to fight me, fine! But let's do it in the gym where we have the right equipment. I am not going to hurt my teammate because I have to defend myself due to her inability to process her emotions!"

Artemis screamed and charged Robin. Robin was waiting for her. He flipped over her head and as he landed swept her feet from under her. Quickly, he scrambled to pin her down.

She struggled to throw him off, yelling the whole time. Robin finally shifted, and she gasp out in pain. "Are you going to attack me if I let you go?" Robin asked calmly. When Artemis shaked her head 'no' he got off of her and helped her up. "Why did you attack me Artemis?"

Artemis shook her head angrily. The rest of the team watched quietly. They knew exactly why Artemis had attacked, the question was why didn't Robin. Why did Robin not feel what they were feeling?

Finally, Artemis burst out, "She died! She died in your arms and you feel nothing! What the hell is wrong with you? It's our fault that she died!"

Robin did not blink as she yelled at him. Turning to face the team, he noticed that they were all wondering the same thing. Turning back to Artemis, he asked softly, "This is the first person you've lost on the job isn't it?" Turning back to the rest of the team he continued, "This is the first time any of you have lost someone."

Nobody said anything, but he saw the confirmation in their eyes. "It gets better. You'll feel like this for a while but you have to keep on going. Keep pushing, use the emotions you're feeling to better yourself. But don't let it consume you, or you'll cross lines that you never would have before. If you let these emotions win, they have a nasty tendency of making you a villain. Don't let them win."

Conner stared at him for a second. "How do you know all of this. You're the youngest one here."

Robin smiled slightly. "I may be the youngest, but I am also the most experienced. I live in Gotham. You cannot compare our experiences even if you had been a hero longer than I have."

"Why?" Conner demanded.

"Gotham's inhabitants are more violent than any other city. The people you save are just as likely to try and stab you as they are to thank you. The villains are more violent and more crazy. The Joker's idea of a joke is to leave a trail of dead bodies with a smile carved onto their faces. Arkham is a joke. Even Bruce Wayne knows what to say to get released. The point is, the number of deaths, the number of dead bodies, and even the number of close calls that I've had are incomparable."

"How do you get through it? How could your parents allow you to see all of that?" M'gann asked with tears in her eyes.

Robin's eyes narrowed for a second before he smirked sadistically. "My parents don't know I'm Robin."

Artemis turned to him sharply. "How could you not tell your parents! You just told us about all the close calls you've had, don't you think your parents have the right to know before you come home in a body bag?" Wally paled. He knew what was coming, and it would not be pretty. Why did M'gann and Artemis have to ask about Robin's parents of all things?

Robin's face turned feral. "You want to know why my parents don't know about me being Robin?"

Artemis suddenly had a sinking feeling that she really did not want to know. Instead of following her instincts, Artemis nodded her head. "Yeah. I want to know."

Robin's expression turned even more feral if that was possible. "You know, I was eight the first time I saw someone murdered."

The team was shocked by the change in subject, all except Wally. He was mumbling, "No, no, no" over and over. Hearing this, Artemis' stomach sank even more. Wherever this story was going, it was not going to be a happy ending.

"You see, my parents and I were visiting Gotham; we liked to travel a lot. The problem was that a local mob boss decided to make examples of us. He wanted us to pay protection money and we didn't. The mob boss decided to make examples of my parents and I. They were murdered in front of me. I was really lucky because I lived. If you can count kneeling next to your parents, covered in their blood, while holding their broken bodies lucky.

"Long story short, Batman also witnessed the murders, but he was in civvies and he couldn't have stopped it if he tried. He ended up adopting me." Seeing the pity and sadness in his friend's eyes, his eyes harden. "Don't pity me. I'm happy. Batman is the best dad I could ever ask for. We love each other and understand each other in a way that many people cannot understand."

When the team looked away, Robin softened. "Don't blame yourselves. We did the best we could today, but things happen. That woman was hit in the carotid artery. Even if Dr. Midnite himself was there, there was no way she could survive. Find comfort in the fact that she did not die scared because we were there."

Robin stretched slowly before picking up his glove. "Be with the people that you love tonight. I'm going home to be with my family, I suggest you do the same."

With that, Robin swept out of the room and to the Zeta Beams. After hearing the Zeta Beam announce his departure, the team turned to one another. Wally took a deep breath before saying, "Rob knows what he's talking about. Let's go be with our loved ones. We did everything we could today and I think we did a damn good job."

Nodding their heads in agreement, the team separated. Each member of the team went to where they felt the most loved and accepted, following Robin's advice in finding comfort that the hostage had died feeling safe.

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 **A/N: Review!**


	7. Hidden Strengths

**Hidden Strengths**

Robin was sitting in the cave doing his homework. It was all so easy except for the English homework. His teacher just did not seem to appreciate his affinity for prefixes and suffixes. Even Bruce thought they were funny and made sense and Bruce was the smartest person that he knew! And if he could make The Batman appreciate his word play, you would think that he could charm his teacher.

Sighing, he started his math homework. He was taking multivariable calculus, even though he personally thought that he could be in a higher class because it was just so easy. He was halfway done when the team entered the room. "Hey Rob! What are you up to?" Wally asked before zooming over to his friend.

Looking over his shoulder, Wally could not make out what his friend was doing. "What is that?"

Robin looked up with scrunched up eyebrows. "My math homework." He said slowly, unsure of what Wally did not comprehend. The guy might be a chemistry whiz, but he could be quite slow sometimes.

"Obviously. I meant that it looks really complicated. What kind of math is it?" Wally complained as he flopped into the chair beside his friend. Hearing Wally's remark, the rest of the team came to look at Robin's homework.

M'gann turned to Robin with her head cocked in confusion. "Robin, Superboy and I are in the same math class and we are older than you, yet we have yet to see this kind of math."

Robin scoffed. Seeing M'gann's hurt look, his face softened slightly. "Ms. M, I'm a certified genius, that has skipped quite a few grades, and am in the highest level math class offered at my school. This is still too easy for me, but I would have to go to a college class. And I don't have time for that. This math is very underwhelming."

Wally gave him a scrutinizing look before saying, "Not whelming?"

Robin returned the look before saying , "No not whelming but underwhelming."

Turning back to his homework, the team watched in amazement as he quickly scribbled answers to the remaining four problems. Seeing the questioning gazes he shrugged. "I did them in my head while we were talking." Shoveling his homework back into his bag he turned to the team. "I'm finished, does anyone want to do anything before the mighty Daddybats summons me back to Gotham?"

Receiving nods, he grabbed his bag to stash in his room. When he was gone, they turned to eachother. "He thinks that that is underwhelming? And he did it in his head? Are we sure that he does not have any superpowers?"

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 **A/N: I don't know where this came from. Anyways please review! And please read my other stories if you have not already! If your a fan of my Nightwing is Den Mother Series, there is two new entries: Awkward Conversations and Dealing with Trauma.**


	8. Past Trauma

**Past Trauma**

Robin was relaxing on the beach, watching idly as his friends splashed around. Normally he would join them, but Gotham had been particularly unforgiving the last few nights, and he really did not want to get his stitches wet. Or at least that was what he was telling himself.

The nightmares the previous night had been particularly aggressive, and Bruce had been away on an overnight business trip which left Dick without his usual method of comfort. Any good psychiatrist would say that Bruce and Dick had an unhealthy relationship, that they relied too heavily on each other to get through their demons. Dick always found himself wondering why it would be considered unhealthy when he found a person that made the darkness not seem so dark anymore. Bruce allowed him to be the light with a little darkness, and in turn, Dick allowed Bruce to see the light even through his darkness. They were Yin and Yang, and for the life of him, Dick could not think of anything healthier than that.

But now, as he sat watching his team, he could not help but wish Bruce was here. All he wanted was to curl up under his adoptive father's cape while the man pretended that he was not secretly enjoying having his son so close to him. Superman had once called how well they could read each other creepy, but Dick loved it. He loved the idea of sharing a glance with his father, and knowing despite the impassive look on his face, he was laughing at the new words he made up. Or knowing that the 'Emergency in Gotham' was really father-son movie night.

Wally slid to a stop next to him and gave him an appraising look. Wally was his best friend, his brother. Him and Roy were the only two besides Bruce who could manage to read his micro expressions, for the most part. Them, and Alfred, but Alfred always seemed to know what everyone needed, before they knew that they needed it. Maybe he should tell Bruce to test Alfred for a metagene.

Now Wally gave him a knowing look and then quietly asked, "Do you want to go to bed?"

Dick shook his head. Bruce would be home tonight, he was not going to go to sleep until they were both curled up in Bruce's enormous bed and Dick had told him about all of his recurring nightmares the night before. Then they would eat a cookie and curl up on opposite sides of the bed, knowing full well that in less than half an hour they would meet in the middle and hold onto each other for dear life. Bruce was his dream catcher, and there was no way that he was going to sleep without him.

Turning to Wally he smiled. "I'm going to go to the gym. Work out some problems. Can you keep the team away, I want some privacy."

Wally turned to face his friend fully, but he was already gone. Sighing he pulled out his phone, and quietly opened his text messages.

 _ **Wally: Do you know where Batman is?**_

 _ **Uncle Barry: No, but I can find out.**_

 _ **Uncle Barry: Why?**_

 _ **Wally: Robin hasn't slept. Refuses to entertain the idea. He's in the gym**_

 _ **Uncle Barry: Yikes. Poor punching bags**_

 _ **Uncle Barry: I remember the time Robin went on a Mathletes trip...never been so**_ _ **scared in my life**_

 _ **Wally: ?**_

 _ **Uncle Barry: You think Robin's the only one with problems?**_

 _ **Uncle Barry: Those two need each other to stay sane**_

 _ **Wally: I wish...ldjfsdhasdjfh**_

Wally was in the middle of typing when Artemis walked over and ripped his phone out of his hands. "It's team bonding time Baywatch. At least pretend you're not texting your girlfriend."

Wally felt heat crawling up his neck. "Give it back! That's a private conversation!"

"Even better, let's see what it says." Artemis smirked. By now the whole team had walked over and was staring curiously at Artemis. As she smirked, her smirk fell away slowly. "Were you going to tell us!" She demanded.

"Tell you what? That you're a bitch? Surprise! We all already know that!" Wally yelled back angrily.

"No that Robin's having problems! He's part of this team and if he can't handle it, we have the right to know. Maybe he needs a break!" Artemis screamed back. The whole team looked at her in shock.

In a deceptively calm voice, Wally replied, "You think that Robin can't handle it? He's probably the only one of us that can. And honestly, his personal problems, the ones that have everything to do with his secret ID are none of our damn business." With that said, Wally grabbed his phone out of her hands and stormed back into the cave.

Kaldur glanced at Artemis. "What makes you say that Robin cannot handle being a hero?"

Artemis stared at Kaldur with large eyes. "He isn't sleeping. Wally was asking his Uncle where Batman was so that Batman could force him to sleep. Then they made some weird joke."

M'gann looked at her teammates excitedly. "One time on TV, these girls pulled a prank on their friend by putting sedatives in her cookie. We could do that to Robin!" The rest of the team nodded in agreement with the idea. Their friend needed sleep and maybe they could help him.

* * *

When Robin walked out of the gym, he felt more relaxed. It had only taken splitting two punching bags, but Batman payed for the equipment, which meant that nobody could really be mad at him. Superman might give him a disapproving look, but that usually faded once Robin brought out the Batglare. And if it didn't, Batman commenting that the next time Superboy broke something, Superman would pay for it on his reporter's salary would definitely wipe the look away.

Robin strolled silently into the kitchen where he found the rest of the team sans Wally sitting around eating cookies. Seeing that there was only one cookie left on the plate, Robin quickly grabbed it and shoved it in his mouth. Alfred would disapprove, but Robin was not going to lose the last cookie to anybody.

Seeing that the team was staring at him, he mumbled out, "What?" while wiping cookie crumbs off his face. Suddenly he felt dizzy. Turning to look at the team in horror, he muttered out, "You drugged me" before collapsing on the ground.

The team exchanged triumphant smirks, they had gambled and only put sedatives in the cookie on the bottom, hoping that Robin would grab it and not Wally. Now, they watched as their teammate slept soundly and peacefully on the ground. Superboy picked him up and was just moving him to the couch when Wally walked in. Turning to the team he said, "Look I'm sorry that…." he trailed off as he spotted Robin in Superboy's arms. His eyes widened almost comically before he whispered in horror, "What did you do?"

Artemis snorted. "Stop being so dramatic Baywatch. We drugged him so that he would finally sleep. No need for Batman to force him to do so." The team exchanged looks that could only be described as proud and triumphant.

"Oh God. Oh God. OhGodOhGodOhGod." Wally was panicking before he whipped out his phone and dialed his Uncle Barry, his hands shaking the whole time. When his Uncle finally picked up after the fourth ring, Wally started talking before his Uncle could even say hello. "Did you ever find out where Batman is! We have a real emergency on our hands!"

Barry made some sort of soothing sound before saying, "It will all be good, as long as Robin does not fall asleep."

Wally burst out, "That's the problem! The team drugged him while I wasn't in the room to tell them what a colossally bad idea it was!"

"Oh God. Oh God. OhGodOhGodOhGod." Barry moaned into the phone. "Hang on. I'm coming with Superman. Batman's civilian identity had to travel outside of Gotham, which is probably why Robin did not sleep."

Wally hung up the phone and turned to the team, who had various looks of confusion on their faces. When Robin started to scream in his sleep and thrash around, they're looks turned into ones of horror. "That's why Robin didn't want to sleep. Batman acts like a human dreamcatcher, they need each other. You guys drugged him, and now we can't wake him up from his nightmares!" Then Wally groaned again. "Batman's going to forget about his no killing rule and kill us."

* * *

Superman and Flash had arrived shortly after and had helped restrain the boy on the couch. They all watched in horror as Robin continued to thrash around and scream, reliving his nightmares over and over. Artemis spun angrily to Wally. "This is why he should not be on the team! I mean Robin's great and all, but obviously fighting crime is having a negative effect on his psyche!" Robin started to yell out in a foreign language.

Surprisingly they heard a reply from the room's entry. Batman strode in and immediately crouched by his son's head. "Au plecat, mica mea pasăre. Și în timp ce eu nu le va înlocui în inima ta, îți promit că va fi cel mai bun tată al naibii că eu pot fi. Deci, vă rugăm să pasăre mică, trezește-te pentru mine. Voi păstra toate coșmarurile departe, atâta timp cât mă vrei prea."

Robin's eyes blinked open and he was instantly in Batman's awaiting arms. When the man stood, his cape covered the boy so that they could no longer see him. Turning to face Artemis he ground out. "Robin witnessed the murder of his parents when he was eight. The same age I was when I witnessed the murders of my parents. I took him in because I knew what it was like and because they had put him in Juvie due to his ethnicity. His nightmares are not about crime fighting, that actually gives him release, but rather about watching his parents die over and over, him kneeling over their broken bodies, covered in their blood until I managed to pull him away. His nightmares are about being beaten to a pulp on multiple occasions because of some racist social worker who stuck him with Gotham's most violent youths. So don't you dare talk about things you don't know. And mind your place." With that, Batman strode angrily out of the room, but the Supers could hear the soft words that the man was crooning in his son's ear.

Looking over the team, Superman said softly, "I think we all learned a valuable lesson today." When he received confused looks from the team, he continued. "Besides the obvious, don't disturb Daddybats," he paused for the few chuckles that escaped the team. "It does not matter how well we know someone, there will always be secrets, a dark past, or otherwise. Never assume that you know better than someone else, as they may have information that you don't."

With that Superman strode out of the room leaving the team in silence. Finally Wally spoke. "I knew about his parents. But he never told me about Juvie. Superman's right, especially with the lives we live, we can never make real assumptions as there are more secrets than we can even imagine." With that, he followed his Uncle to the Zeta Beams.

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 **Translation: _They're gone, my little bird. And while I will never replace them in your heart, I promise I will be the best damn father that I can be. So please little bird, wake up for me. I'll keep all the nightmares away, for as long as you want me too._**

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 **A/N: I feel like Robin is the most dedicated hero on the team, and even surpassing members of the Justice League. Robin lacks maturity, but in some ways, I think that he could act so much older if he wanted. He just chooses to be the light to Batman's dark. Yin and Yang. Yes, they have their problems, but in the end of the day, they are the ideal partnership for a reason. Trust, love, understanding, they have it all.**

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 **Check out my other stories, and I am working on the new story with the zombies, a part of the Nightwing is Den Mother series. I haven't decided what to call it yet, so if you have some sort of amazing idea, leave it in the review section, or PM me.**

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 **Please, please, please, review!**


	9. Card Games on a Rainy Days

**Card Games on a Rainy Day**

The weather was nasty. Robin decided that he rather hang out with his friends in the cave than hang out alone in the manor. Bruce was at Wayne Corp's quarterly earnings report much to the older man's displeasure and Robin's amusement. Bruce had promised that he would pick up Robin as soon as it was over so that they could watch movies and eat cookies together, as was the tradition in the Wayne manor.

The problem was that he was bored, and his friends did not seem inclined to solve said boredom. He had tried to get them to play Monopoly with him, but they had said he was so good, that they were surprised that he was not running his own multimillion dollar enterprise. Wally had promptly snorted soda out of his nose and muttered that Robin would run a multibillion dollar company that had connections all over the world. Robin simply raised an eyebrow and gave the security camera a pointed look. That alone was enough to make Wally run out of the room with a girlish shriek. When the team had given him strange looks, Robin shrugged innocently and continued sipping at his soda.

Now he sat silently on the couch staring off into space. Even Alfred would be better company right now. He adored the man, but cleaning was not his idea of fun. Weighing his options, he was getting ready to leave when Wally came running back into the room with a deck of cards. "Guys! Let's play a game!"

Receiving shrugs and nods, Wally excitedly ran to the couch. Robin sat up straighter as he watched Wally shuffle. Wally shuffling was taking forever, so Robin batted his best friends hands away before expertly shuffling. Wally watched with wide eyes before saying, "Dude! I had no idea you could do that!"

Robin shrugged his shoulder noncommittally before saying, "I fight a villain named Joker. He does playing card themed traps all the time." This was technically true, but Robin had learned the art of shuffling from a clown named Clyde back at Haley's Circus.

"What game are we playing?" Artemis asked as she settled down next to Robin. Robin shrugged before looking at Wally. "What do you want to play?"

Wally sat in deep thought before saying, "How about BS. It's way easier than poker."

Seeing that the rest of the team agreed, Dick distributed the cards. He carefully shuffled all his cards into order and then eyed his opponents. "Who has the ace of spades?"

Artemis carefully placed two cards face down. "Two aces."

Robin placed one card on the table carelessly. "One two."

It kept going on like this for a while with nobody calling BS. Robin had been using this time to carefully study his opponents. He watched their micro expressions and found their tells. When Wally said, "two Kings" his left eyebrow twitched.

"BS" Robin said with an almost bored expression.

Wally looked up in surprise and gathered the big stack of cards in front of him. M'gann put down her cards next. Her fingertips did not flutter, which meant that she was telling the truth. Conner's jaw clenched as he said "One two."

"BS" Robin declared with confidence. It went on and on like this. The rest of the team tried to call Robin on bluffing, but every time they did he seemed to be telling the truth.

"I don't get it. How did you do that?" Wally demanded.

"I'm trained by the World's Greatest Detective. I'd be a pretty bad protege if I couldn't tell when people were lying." Robin shrugged, it wasn't that hard.

"But how did you always put down the right card?" Wally asked. He could earn a lot of snacks from his friends if he pulled of what Robin just did.

Robin shrugged and said, "One king."

"BS" They heard a deep grumble from the opposite side of the room.

"Oh come on Bats! I was about to win!" Robin groaned.

"We can play when we get home if you want." Batman offered.

"No. We read each other too well. It's not fun when you can't get away with lying." Wally made an exasperated sound next to him. "Please. I let you guys lie every once and awhile. Wally you just bluffed your last turn and I didn't call it!" Turning back to his mentor, Robin continued. "Besides, we never win against Agent A, even when we team up. Let's stick to the original plans of movies and cookies."

Grabbing hold of Bruce's arm, he practically dragged him out, yelling out "goodbye" over his shoulder. Wally sighed before smacking his forehead. "I forgot a piece of advice my Uncle once gave me!" When the team gave him curious stares, he continued. "Never play card games against a Bat."

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 **A/N: Review!**


	10. Celebrities

**Celebrities**

It was a lazy day at the cave. Robin was sitting on the couch channel surfing as his friends added their input on when to pause the channel. There was nothing worth watching on TV and Robin really wished that the cave offered as many channels as the manor did. Maybe he should ask Batman about that, if his mentor said no, maybe he could pass it as a birthday gift?

He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard his name. _Dick Grayson was seen literally crashing his father's date last night._ Robin saw that he had paused on a celebrity gossip channel and quickly changed the channel. Immediately, Artemis tackled him and changed the channel back. Robin watched in horror as he saw himself go flying through the restaurant's window and grab Bruce by the collar before dragging him away.

Dick thought back to the night before. Talia had shown up at the manor asking for her 'Beloved' and Dick had immediately provided an excuse. The woman was not deterred and Dick ended up bringing her to the restaurant where Bruce Wayne was on another date. The woman had gone off on a rage, and next thing Dick knew, he was flying through a window and _crashing_ Bruce's date. Dick grabbed the man and dragged him away hastily explaining that Talia was not happy to learn that he was dating another woman. The duo had spent the rest of the night cleaning up the mess that Talia's rage had caused.

Apparently, someone had recorded the incident, but missed the fact that a woman had thrown him into the window. Dick had to admit, it looked a lot cooler without a woman throwing him into the window.

Looking around the room he saw Wally's raised eyebrows. Sometimes it sucked having your best friend know your secret identity. Robin raised an eyebrow in return in a look that clearly said _I'll tell you later_. Wally nodded in understanding before turning back to the screen.

The TV was now showing pictures of him growing up, and Dick had to admit, he looked good. There were photos of him exiting the pool with his swim trunks low on his hips and his abs on clear display. There was a photo of him at the end of a charity ball with his suspenders hanging down, his sleeves rolled up, his tie loosened, and his sport jacket over his shoulder. Babs always told him that that look gave him an edgier feel. His favorite photo though had to be the one of him and Bruce after they had gone Rock Climbing. They were both sweaty and in ratty clothes, but they had giant smiles on their faces and their arms were slung around each other. In that photo, they looked so much like father and son that it made Dick chest ache slightly.

Quietly Dick hacked the TV network and downloaded that photo in his personal hard drive. He smiled softly as he stared at the photo on his holocomputer. He musings were interrupted by Artemis. "I go to school with that kid. He's supposed to be some sort of genius."

"I do not understand why he crashed through the window and interrupted his father's date. Is that something that surface children do often?" Kaldur asked curiously.

Wally made a choked laughing sound. "No only the rich and famous do that."

Robin sent Wally the Batglare and the boy immediately corrected himself. "I mean, I'm sure he had a perfectly good reason to crash Mr. Wayne's date. Maybe someone was trying to kidnap him again! Do you know how many times that poor kid has been kidnapped? I'm sure Robin knows!"

Robin ground his teeth. "He has been kidnapped seventeen times since Bruce Wayne took him in when he was eight. He's fourteen now."

"That poor boy!" M'gann cried. "Why would people do that to him?"

"He's the only person that Bruce Wayne loves. Bruce Wayne has more money than every Justice League member combined. I wouldn't feel too bad for him, he has everything he wants in life." Artemis explained.

Robin felt his eyebrow twitch. "You're forgetting something. The kid watched his parents be murdered and was sent to Juvie because Gotham Child Protective Services couldn't be inconvenienced with a Gypsy child."

Wally's eyes hardened slightly. Robin didn't like talking about his past and the only reason he found out about the two weeks in Juvie was because he had googled Dick Grayson. "I think that if anyone deserves to live with Bruce Wayne, it's probably him. Besides, who would want to live in the limelight constantly. There would be no way we could be heroes with someone constantly watching our every move."

Hearing the Team voice their agreement, Robin sent Wally a thankful look. That's why it was good to have a best friend who knew your secret identity.

* * *

Three days later, Bruce was lying in bed staring at the framed photograph that his son had given him for Father's Day. It really was the perfect photo of them. They were not in stifling suits nor were they wearing fake smiles. It was just a photo of father and son, enjoying each other's presence above all else.

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 **A/N: I'm alive! And I actually posted something! Anyways, please review! Oh and feel free to leave prompt suggestions! I need them!**


	11. Anything's Possible in Gotham

**Anything's Possible in Gotham**

Robin angrily walked into the cave and immediately ran into his room. Last night, Gotham had reared its ugly head and he was hit by a bright pink ray by a new villain. He hadn't noticed the effects right away, but when he was changing back into his civvies at the Bat Cave, he noticed that he was missing a very important appendage.

He had been so freaked out, that he had run out of the changing room naked, yelling for Bruce. Bruce had been equally freaked out to learn that the ray had changed his teenage son into his teenage daughter.

Batman had immediately gone to the Police Station and interrogated the villain. After an hour, he had learned that the effects would only last twenty four hours. That information had not satisfied his ward who spent the rest of the night yelling at him. When Bruce asked him to stop, he burst out in tears before yelling, "Estrogen, Bruce, estrogen! How would you like it if you were suddenly pumping estrogen instead of testosterone? You wouldn't be a playboy billionaire anymore, that's for sure, cause you'd be a woman!"

Bruce had no answer to that, so he allowed his daughter(?) to rant and yell at him. At one point, he wondered to himself whether or not he should ban his thirteen year old son from seeing himself naked while he was a female. Would that be considered good parenting or just awkward? He'd have to ask Alfred.

Dick had wanted to stay at home until he reverted back, but Bruce was called away on a mission, and it was Alfred's day off. Bruce had insisted that he go to the cave so that if something went wrong, he'd have access to League assistance right away. Dick had tried to argue that he had just as much access in the Bat Cave but Bruce didn't care. Which is how he found himself hiding in his room at Mt. Justice.

There was nothing that could force him to come out. Even if he was offered a plate of Alfred's cookies or Ma Kent's apple pie, he would not leave the room until he was reverted back to his male form.

* * *

Batman rushed into Mt. Justice. He was worried about Robin, but he tried to compose himself before he saw the team. Walking into the living room, he asked, "Where's Robin?"

The team turned to him in confusion. "Rob's here?" Wally asked. "I haven't seen the dude all day. That's not normal."

Batman sighed. The poor boy (girl?) was hiding. Sweeping past the team, he went to his son's room. Knocking, he entered Robin's passcode into the door. He knew that the boy would not answer, but he wanted to give him, some warning that he was entering.

Entering the dark room, Batman turned on the light. Robin immediately hissed from his position huddled on the bed. Batman walked in and offered a gloved hand to his son. "Come on. Let's go home. How about we celebrate when you revert back to normal. Movies and pizza? Bet we can convince Alfred to make some soda, popcorn, and cookies."

Robin gave him a hard look before a smile took over his face. "Only if we agree to never speak of this again. And we don't tell the team."

Batman pulled Robin up and put his hand on his head. "Deal Chum."

As the duo walked out of the cave, the team stopped them. Wally opened his mouth, and Robin felt dread pooling in his stomach. "Dude! Why are you a girl!"

Robin flushed bright red and the rest of the team gaped at him. "Blame Gotham!"

Batman quickly ushered his embarrassed son to the Zeta Beams, shooting a deadly glare over his shoulder. "If I find out, and I will find out, that you ever spoke of this moment again, I will make you regret it. Immensely."

The Bats were whisked away by the Zeta Beam leaving a terrified team behind. Wally swallowed noisily. "I think we should forget that this ever happened." The rest of the team was quick to agree.

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 **A/N: Personally, I don't like stories where Robin is secretly a girl, but I do like stories where Gotham villains create some pretty crazy ray beams.**

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 **Hope you liked the story, as always, please review and please leave some prompt ideas. I originally had a list, but it's pretty much gone, so if you want more chapters to this story, please help me think of some ideas!**


	12. Crash Landing

**Crash Landing**

Robin was bone tired. Not only had the team just finished a mission, but there had been a major Arkham breakout the night before. Robin was surprised that Batman had allowed him to go on the mission with the team and not demand that he take a nap. Now he practically slept in the bioship as M'gann brought them back to Mt. Justice.

Robin was startled when the Bioship started to descend rapidly and out of control. Turning to M'gann he yelled, "What's going on?"

The martian tried to regain control but was clearly struggling. "I don't know! She's not responding!"

All the training Batman instilled in him kicked in. "Don't try to wrestle control! Just guide the bioship into a safe landing. Doesn't matter if it's not pretty as long as we're still alive!"

M'gann nodded and guided the bioship into a rough landing. Robin knew that he would be feeling it the next morning, but he couldn't make himself care. The team filled out of the bioship and Robin immediately recognized where they were. Stretched slightly he said, "Man. I am feeling the aster!"

"How can you be feeling the aster right now! This is a disaster! We have no idea where we are not to mention how are we going to explain the spaceship!" Artemis demanded.

"Get traught Artemis. I know where we are, and man we couldn't have chosen a better place to crash land." Seeing two figures approaching in the distance, Robin started to run in that direction. "Come on guys, I want to introduce you!" The team exchanged bewildered looks before following Robin at a slower pace.

As they approached the the two figures they watched in surprise as Robin launched himself at them. Artemis' eyes widened when she realized that Robin was not attacking them, but rather hugging them, and the couple was hugging him back.

Artemis took this moment to study the couple more closely. They were an older couple and both were wearing stereotypical farm clothes. They had laugh lines and were clearly close to Robin as they hugged them like he was their own child.

Robin unraveled himself from the couple before saying, "Ma, Pa, this is the team, team, this is Ma and Pa Kent."

"Robin dear, we just saw you last month in Metropolis! Why are you here?" Ma asked in a kind tone. Artemis briefly wondered why they met in Metropolis of all places.

Robin laughed slightly. "I just wanted to see your beautiful face Ma." Seeing her unbelieving face his smile faded slightly. "As you can see, we had some technical difficulties." Robin gestured vaguely at the bioship.

Pa laughed. "Last time a spaceship crash landed in our yard we ended up with Clark!"

Robin's grin turned mischievous. "Well we can recreate that moment if you want." Robin grabbed Superboy's arm and dragged him forward. "Meet Connor. He's Clark's son, well clone technically."

Ma and Pa Kent grabbed a surprised Superboy into a tight hug. Turning around, Robin noticed the team's flabbergasted expressions. "Did I forget to tell you that Ma and Pa are Superman's parents?"

* * *

Robin sat in the kitchen kicking his legs as he ate a slice of pie. He watched as Ma and Pa continued to fuss over Superboy. Turning to the rest of the team, he said, "You really should try the pie. Ma Kent's pie is just as amazing as Agent A's cookies." Wally seemed to understand what that meant as he practically dive bombed the pie and ate it with gusto, moaning between bites.

Laughing, Robin turned back to face Ma and Pa. "I gotta call Batman, you know how he is, especially because CPS has been on our asses lately." The last part was said so bitterly that the team once again wondered who exactly Robin was. "Let's hold off on calling Clark until Batman gets here." The last part was said with a look that conveyed some sort of hidden meaning.

Ma handed Robin the home phone and Robin dialed a number so fast, it was obvious that he used it often. "Hey Dad...We crash landed, and you'll never guess where...No fair, you're not actually supposed to guess...since when do you look at who's calling you?...Yeah yeah...So we need an exfil...Can you come?...Clark's coming and mellow him out...So what if you had to make a point with Kryptonite!...Daaadddd….I'll save you some pie….Love you too!"

The team looked at Robin in shock. The Batman said _I love you_? And he was actually Robin's father? Seeing their looks, Robin blushed slightly. "CPS is monitoring our phone calls, we're trying to play it up." The team seemed placated by this but Wally gave him a look that clearly stated, 'Yeah. Right.'

Robin sliced a giant slice of pie and placed it off to the side. "Batman wasn't kidding, he wants the pie." This earned more shock from the team. They seemed to be learning a lot about the dynamic duo today.

* * *

Batman arrived an hour later in the Batwing. Jumping down, he immediately took a seat next to Robin and they whispered quietly to themselves before Batman placed one gloved hand on Robin's head. Batman turned to Ma and Pa before saying in a gruff voice, "Call him. Don't say anything about us being here."

"We know the drill Batman. Robin had us join him and Lois in Metropolis. Sadly, Clark chose to never introduced Conner to us." Ma said indignantly. Softening her tone considerably, she said, "You have some boy there Batman."

Batman looked down at a blushing Robin before saying, "I know."

Ma clapped her hands. "Let's call that childish man I call a son."

* * *

Superman arrived within five minutes of Ma Kent's call. He was still wearing his work clothes and looked slightly disheveled. "Ma! What's the emergency?"

Pa Kent gestured behind Clark, and the Man of Steel immediately turned around only to see Batman and Robin sharing a slice of pie with the team standing awkwardly behind them.

Clark felt his blood begin to boil and he yelled angrily at Robin, "You brought them to my parents! Do you realize the problems you could cause them, let alone me! For someone who is so concerned about keeping his identity secret, you don't seem to care about revealing other people's!"

Batman's eyes hardened and he stood up menacingly, blocking Superman's view of Robin. "Do not. Ever. Speak to him like that. Again."

Superman took a step back from Batman and winced at the intensity of the man's glare. Stupidly, he baited the man. "What, you're going to be an overprotective dad now? We both know that if you were such a great dad, CPS wouldn't be investigating you. Again."

Batman was about to launch himself at the Man of Steel when Robin laid a calming hand on his arm. "We all know that CPS is investigating us because of who we are and not because Batman has ever laid a hand on me." Only the people who knew their secret identities knew the what Robin was actually saying. The investigation had everything to do with him being playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne and not because they actually thought he was abusive.

"Clark Kent! Don't you ever speak like that to another person again! Or I will ground you in the likes that you have never seen before!" Ma yelled angrily.

Superman looked sheepish. "I'm sorry Ma." Seeing Ma's pointed look he turned to Batman and Robin. "I'm sorry. I was angry, but that doesn't excuse what I said."

Kaldur took that moment to step in and try and defuse tensions. "Apologies Superman. We did not know that this was your home. The bioship crash landed, and when we exited, Robin informed us that he knew where we were."

Superman turned curiously to the martian. "Do you know why the ship crashed?"

Miss Martian shook her head, hugging her body tightly. "I don't know. Suddenly she was not listening to me. Robin talked me through crash landing, but we still don't know why."

"Okay let's go see if we can figure out why." With that Superman led the group to the bioship.

* * *

"There is some sort of micro alien on the ship." Superman said while scanning the bioship.

Batman nodded slightly, glancing up from his computer. "If we immerse the bioship in black light for a couple hours, it should separate the aliens from the ship." Turning to face Miss Martian he said, "Can you make it meet us at Mt. Justice, there's a decontaminating chamber there that we can use."

With that Batman started to walk away. Robin turned to the team, grinning. "That's Bat speak for 'Everyone but Conner, follow me.' Conner you should get to know your family a bit better." Robin turned and followed his mentor, the rest of the team following dutifully behind him.

Conner turned to Superman awkwardly. "So. This is where you grew up? Cadmus never told me you had parents."

Superman shifted around slightly before glancing up at the sky. He knew Batman was smirking from wherever he was.

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 **A/N: Thank you _Kayllis_ for this lovely idea. Anyways, please review! And please leave a prompt idea if you have one!**


	13. The Joys of Alternate Dimensions

**The Joys of Alternate Dimensions**

The team had been fighting some third grade villain in a city outside of Gotham when it happened. One second they were beating the crap out of the villain and the next second they were surrounded by a blinding white light. When the light cleared, they were in the Watch Tower surrounded by the Justice League.

Robin noticed almost instantly that this was not their Justice League. The costumes were slightly different, and the Watch Tower looked different from the one that he had been to. Seeing the relief on his teammates faces, he yelled, "That's not our Justice League!"

Immediately, his team was on defense while the Justice League attacked. Robin blended into the shadows and climbed up to the rafters. Artemis started trading trick arrows with Green Arrow, Kaldur and Aquaman started to circle each other, each unwilling to start the duel. Kid Flash and Flash were blurs that seemed to touch every once and awhile. Robin knew that they were trading blows at superspeed. Martian Manhunter and Miss Martian were standing next to each other, both with glowing eyes, and Robin realized that they were having a psychic battles. He watched as the two Supers lunged at each other and started punching each other. The blows caused major destruction around them, and Robin knew that the Watch Tower was unable to sustain that kind of fight for long. Robin knew that Batman was the real danger though. The man was currently searching for him, and Dick knew that he had to make a move before his father found him.

Taking a deep breath, Robin through a pellet on the ground. It let out a loud sound that momentarily paralyzed the room's occupants. Only Batman seemed unfazed, and Robin knew it was because the man had trained to be unaffected by the noise, much like Robin. Dropping down from the rafters, Robin yelled, "Enough. The Watch Tower won't be able to sustain a fight between two Supers let alone the rest of you. Honestly, we're heroes, let's talk it out like civilized people and not villains!"

Everyone paused and Batman spoke up. "Kid's right. I didn't build the Watch Tower to sustain this kind of damage from the inside."

Seeing that everyone was calm, Robin turned to face his team. "Aqualad, I know we agreed that you'd be leader until I was older, but I'm taking charge right now." Robin made sure that there was no room for discussion before refocusing on the Justice League. "I'm sorry that we attacked. It was not our intention to start an altercation but we were in the midst of battle before transferring here."

Batman narrowed his eyes. "How do we know that we can trust you?"

Robin smirked. "You wouldn't be my mentor and father if you weren't so distrusting Batman." Robin had to contain his glee when he noticed Batman's shocked expression. "We are your partners in what I gather to be an alternate dimension. According to my readings, we were transported by an altered Zeta Beam." Robin showed the readings from his holocomputer to Batman, who glanced at it skeptically.  
"Anyone can fake those results. I need solid evidence. A DNA test would be sufficient." Batman growled.

"No DNA to give B. You adopted." Robin said with a small smirk. "Gotta say, I like your place way better than the place they had me in before." Seeing that Batman was still not amused, Robin offered, "How about I give a story that nobody knows but you and Agent A? Gotta warn you though, it's embarrassing."

Batman growled and stated, "How about Martian Manhunter goes through your memories instead?"

Robin shrugged. "He can if he wants, but the Martian Manhunter on my Earth hurt himself. My mind is just as broken as yours is Batman. I believe you adopted me because we saw the same thing at the same age."

Batman stiffened. The team had no idea what was going on, but they knew without a doubt that Robin had just hit a sore spot. For both of them. "Share the story." Batman's growl was not nearly as menacing as it was before, and Kaldur breathed a sigh of relief. He hoped that whatever Robin's plan was, it ended with them getting help and not thrown in prison.

Robin's smile turned mischievous and he let out a small cackle. "Well. When you were sixteen, you were getting ready for a date with Olivia Holidow. You decided that it would be sweet and romantic if you cooked the dinner. So you started preparing chicken, rice, and some vegetables. You had seen Agent A do it so many times that you thought you could easily recreate it. Long story short, the kitchen flooded with rice up to your knees, the vegetables turned into some sort of silly putty and the chicken literally made the oven explode. You ended up ordering Chinese food for your date and Agent A banned you from the kitchen. I have more stories about you in the kitchen if you want. I don't know why you think that your cooking skills might kick in."

Batman cleared his throat over the rambunctious laughter of the Justice League. Robin could tell that his cheeks were slightly flushed, and he almost felt bad. Almost.

"Look. Batman. We want to get back to our Earth. My Batman's probably freaking out, and he likes to take that out on Green Arrow or Superman. There's a reason they call him Daddybats after all. I don't know what your technology is like here, but both of us are certified geniuses, so I'm sure we can figure it out."

Seeing Batman's nod, he turned to the team. "Don't reveal anything. We don't know how our presence effects this world." With that Robin swept out of the room with Batman following closely behind.

Flash turned to the team. "Bats seriously has a kid?"

Wally smiled slightly. "Honestly, none of us were sure of their relationship. Their identities are the League's best kept secret after all. But Batman is seriously overprotective of that kid."

* * *

Robin and Batman finished up the last touches of their machine that could travel through dimensions. Robin figured that Batman could name it later. Turning to leave, Robin was stopped by Batman's hand on his shoulder. Pivoting so that he was facing Batman again, Robin tilted his head, asking a silent question. "Who are you? So that I can find you here, or keep an eye out."

Robin sighed. He had never seen Bruce look so vulnerable when he was in his Batman costume. It was almost as if he was afraid of rejection. "I'm not going to tell you who I am." Seeing the ends of Batman's lips twitch down, Robin continued. "But I will tell you this. If Alfred ever wants you to go to Haley's Circus to get a break from the darkness in your life, go. And never think that you don't know enough or aren't good enough to be a parent. You're the best dad I could have ever hoped for, no matter how many times we both mess up." Robin left the room knowing that he had tears in the corners of his masked eyes.

Walking up to his team, he cleared his throat. "Let's go. Batman and I made a…" he trailed off looking at Batman for help.

"A Multiverse Transport Machine." Batman said. "The name's still under construction."

Robin stifled a laugh. He saw the small twitch in Batman's lips that signified that he had in fact made a joke, and that he had caught Robin laughing. Robin sent a wink his way knowing that nobody but Batman would catch the movement behind his mask.

Batman walked forward and set the machine up. He had a sudden urge to place his hand on the boy's head. Remembering what he had said earlier, he followed his instinct and the boy leaned into him slightly. They watched as a portal opened.

Robin stepped away from Batman's comforting form and faced his team. "Let's go." He walked forward and watched as his team followed behind him. Turning to once again face the Justice League he said, "Thank you for your help, if you're ever in our dimension, find us." With that, he led his team through the portal with the confidence and natural grace that only a member of the Bat Clan could have.

* * *

Walking into the cave, Robin couldn't help but feel relief. He watched as the portal closed behind them and felt a wave of sadness hit him. He was glad to know that no matter what dimension they were in, Bruce still loved him.

Hearing Batman's gruff voice yelling at Superman in the other room, Robin took off.

"I don't care what you think Clark! I'm telling you Robin would never be gone this long without checking in!"

"Batman!" Robin yelled before tackling the man from behind. He scurried so that he was wrapped around Bruce's chest, with his leg around his waist and his head buried in the crook of his neck. Robin felt Batman's cape wrap around him and he sighed in relief. He was finally safe.

Turning to the rest of the team, Batman growled out, "We'll debrief tomorrow. Robin will tell me mission details. Get some rest." With that Batman swooped out of the room and to the Zeta Beams.

When they arrived at the Batcave, Bruce tried to set Dick down, but the boy simply refused to let go. Settling himself in his chair, he adjusted Dick so that he was sitting comfortably in his lap. It had been a long time since Dick had actively chosen to seek comfort from Bruce like that.

"It's okay Chum. I'm not going anywhere. Will you tell me what's got you so rattled?" Bruce spoke softly to the boy and waited for the reply. He knew that it may take some time, but that he would have better results by not rushing the boy.

"We got transported to an alternate dimension. We ended up at the Watch Tower. I knew right away that it wasn't you, and I warned the team. We got into a huge fight, and I ended up stopping it and negotiating with you. I ended up telling everyone a story about one of your kitchen fails to prove that I knew you. Long story short, we worked together to build a machine to transport us back. It sucked Bruce, it was like I knew you, but at the same time I didn't. I was fine, and then I heard your voice and I knew that I needed you."

Bruce hugged the boy closer to him. "Why don't we get Alfred to plate some cookies for us, and watch some movies in my room. And if we fall asleep together in my bed, whatever."

Dick nodded and smiled brilliantly. "That sounds really really great Bruce. Better than I can say."

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 **A/N: Thanks to _duskrider_ for the prompt idea!**

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 **Please please please review! And leave prompt ideas if you want me to continue posting chapters so quickly!**


	14. In the Know

**In the Know**

Robin was watching static with Conner. Really, he was waiting for Wally to show, but the Speedster had a knack for being late, which Robin just couldn't understand. Alfred was expecting him, and he really did not want to wash the bazillion cars that Bruce owned because he was late. Again.

Normally he would just text the speedster later, but he had lost his phone privileges when he was caught swinging from the chandeliers for the fifth time that month. What Bruce didn't know, was that the chandelier was his new favorite reading spot. Although it was entirely likely that the man did know and was just toying with him. Robin decided that he would find a new reading spot. Preferably one that wouldn't get him grounded for eternity.

Robin sighed, checking his holocomputer again for the time. He would leave in five minutes at the latest, if Wally didn't show, he would leave a message through one of their friends. He wonder if Bruce would be mad if he used his phone to text Barry to text Wally. Maybe he should ask Alfred. The man knew how to keep a secret, and he had never crumbled under the might of the Batglare.

Checking the time once more, Robin got up. He'd use Barbara's phone if he couldn't get Bruce to allow him his one phone call. Walking to the Zeta Beams, he was literally run over by a speedster.

"Dude!" Wally yelled. "Look out where your walking!"

The rest of the team ran into the room to see what the yelling was about. Seeing that nobody was dying, they decided to stick around for what was bound to be good entertainment.

"Wally! You were supposed to be here two hours ago! You know I'm grounded and I have to be back at home before five or I'll be under house arrest!" Robin ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

Wally raised his hands up in surrender. "Sorry! I got detention!"

Robin grunted, sounding surprisingly like Batman. "Let me guess, you were late to school."

Wally blinked. "How'd you know?"

Face-palming, Robin said, "Look. I just wanted to invite you to my Mathlete's competition. We're in Central City, so I thought you might want to come."

Wally laughed. "I'm going to the Science Fair in Gotham, wanna support us?"

Robin laughed, he knew Wally was actually hitting him up for donation money and friendly support so he made a mental note to get Bruce to donate to the science fair. If nothing else, it would look good for CPS.

Robin was about to leave again when Artemis stopped him. "Wait. So he knows your secret identity?"

Robin cocked his head to the side. "Of course. I thought you knew that."

"Blabbermouth Wally knows your secret identity. The secret of all secrets in the Justice League." Artemis continued ignoring Wally's indignant shout.

"Yeah. And Roy too." Robin checked the time again. "I really have to go, if I'm late, I won't see sunshine again until next year, not to mention Gotham scum."

"I don't get it. Why can Wally and Roy know but not us?" M'gann chimed in.

"Because they know my secret identity." Batman growled.

The team instantly stood on alert, and Robin seemed to pale three shades. "You're late Robin. I thought you wanted to see your phone in this century?"

"Batman….Wally was late. I would've been home hours ago, or even stayed home if you allowed me my one phone call." Robin whined.

"You used your one phone call yesterday to call Barbara. And the day before to call Roy. You don't get one phone call a day." Batman growled. Only Robin could see the twitch in his lips signifying that he found his ward's antics amusing.

"I'm still blaming Wally. Besides. One does better at tournaments when they have a good support system. That's what Mr. Labowski says." Robin chirped.

Batman made a soft grunting noise. "I thought you said that that was a load of bull."

Robin grinned. "Then I realized that he was right. I just always have the best support system because you and Agent A are there."

Batman stilled momentarily before replying in a slightly softer tone, "I won't add any time to your grounding. And you can have a phone call a day. But we're leaving now." With that Batman dragged the boy out of the room and to the Zeta Beams.

When the team turned to Wally, he shrugged. "Look. Robin doesn't have many friends in his civilian identity. Batman took us and trusted us not to say anything. If word got out about who we were, yeah, we'd be screwed. But Gotham's different, more dangerous. If word got out about them, everyone they've ever talked to would die painfully. It's a closely guarded secret for a reason."

The team thought about this for a moment before Artemis laughed. "It's actually fun not knowing. We can imagine that Batman and Robin are anyone. The Commissioner and his daughter or even Bruce Wayne and his son Richard.

The team laughed picturing Bruce Wayne as Batman. Wally meanwhile laughed nervously while pulling at his collar. Somehow he knew that Batman knew that they were talking about him being Bruce Wayne.

The the Batcave both Batman and Robin paused where they were removing their costumes. Looking at each other they both knew that someone somewhere was talking about Bruce Wayne and Richard Grayson being Batman and Robin.

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 **A/N: I'm going to write another chapter going into more of a bromance, but for now, I thought I'd set it up by making the team realize that Wally (and Roy) knew Robin's secret ID.**

 **Leave a review! And I welcome all ideas for prompts, you even get credit in the author's note that most people skip!**


	15. Screaming Her Head Off

**Screaming Her Head Off**

Robin frowned as he watched his team try and soothe the screaming child. None of them were even remotely successful, but Robin made no move to help them. The mission had started off well. Rescue a bunch of civilians from the newest bad guy and return them safely to the their awaiting families.

Things got complicated after Kid Flash was able to take all but one family out of the bank. Said family consisted of a father, a mother, and the little girl that the team was now trying to soothe. Apparently the bad guy didn't like that he only had three hostages left and had started shooting randomly at the team. The father and mother had tried covering the girl, and had ended up both getting shot.

Robin didn't remember much after that, but he remembered seeing red before launching himself at the bad guy. Now the villain lay unconscious and hog tied while the girl's parents lay dead. And to make matters worse, they were trapped within the bank due to a combination of Kaldur and Conner's powers.

The screaming was really getting on Robin's nerves, but how was he supposed to help the girl more than the team already was? Sighing, he stood up and took off his cape and draped it over the woman, carefully covering her face. His hands automatically went to a pocket in his utility belt and pulled out a space blanket. Unfolding it slowly, he bent down and covered the man. No child should have to see their parents' dead bodies.

Standing to full height, Robin hit the emergency exfil button on his belt, certain that nobody had thought to call the league. The idea of seeing Batman soon gave him the courage to walk over to the girl and crouch next to her.

Surprising the team, Robin took off his gloves and held up his hands in a very non threatening manner. "Hey girlie. My name's Robin. I work with Batman. Why don't we talk for a bit, I'm sure my friends will leave you alone if you want them too."

To everyone's surprise the girl stopped wailing but tears continued to leak out of her eyes. "They're dead aren't they? My mommy and daddy?" I don't understand!"

Robin gazed off into the distance. "Yeah Sweetheart, they're dead. But I guarantee that even though they're in a better place, if they had the choice, they rather be right here with you."

The girl gave him a suspicious look. "I don't believe you! If they wanted to be here they would still be here! They didn't love me enough to stay!"

Robin's head jerked from where he was staring at the bodies, turning so that he would fully face the angry girl. "Don't you ever say that again, don't even think it! They had a choice, yes. But it wasn't whether or not to leave you, it was whether or not to save you. They decided that you were worth more than them combined, and that is a very precious gift."

The girl's face twisted and she looked like she was trying not to cry. "How do you know?"

Robin lost the angry look on his face, and looked absolutely haunted. "Because my parents had a choice too. And they chose the same as yours. Batman's parents also had a choice, and they did the same thing. I don't think it's really a choice, when you become a parent, you love with all your heart, but that's not a bad thing."

The girl launched herself at Robin, surprising him, and hugged him tightly. "My name's Naomi. I'm eleven. And one day, I'm going to be a hero too."

Robin chuckled slightly before saying, "Why don't you be a doctor. Someone who the heroes can bring people too, or even a doctor for the heroes themselves."

Naomi nodded excitedly, and was about to respond when their was a loud groaning noise coming from the entrance. Turning Robin watched as Superman hefted the last slab of concrete from the entrance and Batman glided in surveying the scene.

Robin watched as his mentor and father noticed the two covered bodies in the room before seeing the tears on Naomi's face. Batman's finger twitched, which Robin knew was a sign of him being world weary and upset at what the child had lost.

Gesturing at the girl he growled, "Bring her to Superman. He has a better relationship with CPS. He'll get her in a good place to stay until her remaining family can be contacted." Batman watched as Artemis left with the child to find the Man of Steel before he swept Robin under his cape, ignoring the shocked intakes of breath from the rest of the team. Holding Robin so that the boy's head rested on his shoulder and his legs were wrapped around Bruce's waist, Batman held the boy's trembling form despite how heavy he'd become.

Nodding to the team, he said, "Debriefing tomorrow. Everyone go home and get some rest." Pausing once at the entrance of the bank he added, "Spend some time with family or loved ones." With that Batman glided out of the Bank just as silently and mysteriously as he had walked in.

* * *

Dick sat on the infirmary bed at the Batcave allowing Alfred to fuss over him while Bruce kept a watchful eye. Dick was no idiot, he knew that Alfred was doing what Bruce wished he could do, but couldn't muster the courage for.

Alfred declared him fit to leave the infirmary, and left. Dick watched as Bruce gave him an appraising look before grabbing a bandage and covering a scrape that Alfred had missed. Knowing the cunning butler, Dick assumed he had done so on purpose.

Taking a deep breathe, Dick steadied his nerves. He knew that Bruce was never going to take the first step to building their relationship into something greater than it already was, so it was up to him. "Dad. I promise you that I'm fine. In fact, I am so feeling the aster right now."

Bruce's hands stilled and he glanced up at Dick with a surprised look on his face. "Did you just…"

"Call you Dad? Yes I did. You got a problem with that Old Man?" Dick let out a nervous chuckle. Bruce was definitely not making this easy on him.

"You know I never wanted to replace your father." Bruce was rubbing the back of his neck, but Dick could see the apprehensive joy in his eyes.

"You will never be John Grayson. But that doesn't mean you can't be my father. Whether you like it or not, I love you. And you are my dad."

Dick was expecting calm or even cold acceptance. He was not however, expecting to be pulled into the tightest hug of his life. "Chum. This makes me so happy. This is the best gift you could have ever given me, so thank you. Thank you for that."

Dick let out a breathless laugh and beamed up at Bruce, no his dad. "I should've waited to tell you at Christmas, or maybe your birthday! Do you know how hard it is to shop for you?"

Bruce let out a deep laugh. A laugh that hadn't graced the Wayne Manor since the night his parents' were murdered. "God I love you Chum. Don't ever change."

"Ditto Dad. Hey. What would the opposite of adoption be? I mean option is like choice, right, so adoption would be to add choices. So if I want to take choices away, would it be deoption?"

Bruce gave Dick a strange look. "I have no idea Chum, You're the one rewriting the dictionary. What brought that on?"

Dick gave him a bright smile. "Don't you think it's time to make us an official family?"

Bruce just smiled, but his heart was ready to burst from joy.

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 **A/N: Please don't kill me! Loyal fans, I am deeply sorry that life got in the way, and I was unable to update when I wanted to.**

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 **Please please please review! I really love reviews and I don't want to be that author who says _I will only update once I get twenty reviews_. That's not me, but I really do want reviews. **

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 **Prompt ideas anyone? You know what you like to read, and I live to serve!**


	16. The Forgotten Language

**The Forgotten Language**

Like all missions, it started off easy. They were in Germany retrieving stolen technology. Robin was certain that STAR Labs had a security leak, because it seemed like most of their missions involved the company. Of course Wayne Corp worked with the company, so Robin should probably talk to Bruce about that.

They had started the trip in Munich, but things quickly went sideways, ending with the team running for their lives. To Robin's eternal embarrassment, Superboy had ended up carrying him bridal style because he was not running fast enough.

Where they ended up was the real question. Robin did not see any street signs that could tell them where they were. He was lucky, as he was not the only one who spoke German. Superboy knew the language as well from his time in Cadmus and Artemis was taking the language at three of them were looking for any indication of where they were, or anyone they could ask.

After walking for a few miles, Superboy said, "There's some sort of camp up ahead. We'll reach it in about a mile." Robin and Kid Flash shared a grin a simultaneously let out a cheer, causing the rest of the team to laugh. Team moral was suddenly higher, and they spent the next mile happily chatting about school, the difficulties of being 'normal', and funny stories from their time as a hero. Robin made sure to add a few stories about Batman messing up and how he had to save his mentor. Batman may not like the bad PR, but he wanted his team not to fear his adoptive father.

When they reached the camp, it came to a great surprise that the language the people were speaking was not german or english. It was even more surprising that none of the people seemed happy to see them. In fact they seemed nervous and angry that they were there. Wally noticed the word "Gadjo" being repeated over and over. He had no idea what they were saying, and by the looks on everyone else's faces, they did not know either.

The only face that didn't read bure confusion was Robin. Wally decided that that was due to his top secret Bat Clan training. What surprised him though, was when Robin started talking back in the same language.

Wally had no idea what was going on, but by the looks of things, Robin was trying to convince them of something, and they did not believe him. He flipped onto his hands and did a few steps before tumbling back on his feet in a natural grace that Wally knew that he'd never be able to achieve.

Robin continued talking, when suddenly an elderly man walked through the crowd and stopped in front of Robin. To his even bigger surprise, Robin took off his mask and threw himself at the man. Wally almost expected some sort of attack, but instead Robin hugged the man, before placing his mask firmly back on his face and turning to the team.

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Robin recognized the language as soon as he heard it. Romani. Language of the travellers. The gypsies. The language of the family he'd once belonged to. Robin knew that they were weary of strangers. Too many people had been persecuted for the sole fact of their heritage, not to mention all the discrimination that they received.

Robin smiled and spoke to them in his native tongue, explaining that they were circus folk looking for their next gig. He told them that they were lost and had spotted their camp in the distance and had hoped to receive directions.

The people weren't having any of it and Robin did a quick hand stand, walking a few steps before flipping back over. When they still didn't believe him, he played his last card and told them that John Grayson was his father. That he had been raised in an international travelling circus and was a famous aerialist.

This brought forward an old man that he instantly recognized. The man asked for him to prove that he was Richard Grayson, and Robin immediately removed his mask, allowing for his distinct eyes to prove his tale. He then proceeded to throw himself at the man who used to act as a knife thrower at Haily's Circus.

When he was finished, he placed his mask firmly over his eyes, and smiled at the people who were now acting warmly towards him and his friends. Robin quickly explained that while his friends were not Romani, they would respect their culture as they were all from different parts of the world. He didn't mention that they were from different worlds as well.

The crowd walked away, telling Robin to bring his friends into the camp after he talked to them. Robin smiled and waved before turning back to his team. He smiled awkwardly and drawled out, "Sooo….this is awkward."

Wally blinked before raising his arms gesturing wildly. "Dude! What language was that! Why did they seem to hate us! Why'd you take your mask off! And why do they like us now!"

Robin rolled his eyes before crossing his arms over his chest. "You done?" Seeing Wally nod in confirmation, Robin continued. "The people we met are a group of Romani, or gypsies. They don't take well to outsiders, which explains their reaction."

M'gann frowned. "Why do they not like outsiders? We're nice. We don't mean any harm."

Robin ran a hand through his hair and said, "Look. Romani have a history of being persecuted for crimes they didn't commit. They are a racial minority that is constantly discriminated against. In World War Two, they were in the concentration camps along with the jews, the communist, and the LGBT+ community."

Artemis looked thoughtful for a moment. "That makes a lot of sense. But it does not explain why they trusted you and not us."

Robin smirked and said, "Who said I was an outsider?"

The words seemed to short circuit their brains. Finally Kaldur said, "I'm afraid I do not understand Robin."

Robin pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering that Batman was certainly going to maim him before locking him in a dungeon. (He wouldn't be surprised if the manor did have a dungeon somewhere, and everyone knows that Batman does not kill, only maims. Severely.) "Look I am Romani, and that's all you really need to know. I was not born in Gotham, nor is my father really Batman, despite the rumors that Green Arrow and Flash started. As for why they trusted me when I took off my mask, the man that I hugged knew who I was claiming to be and would recognize me as soon as I took it off. The people started liking us because they knew that I was one of them, and I assured them that you would respect their customs."

When the team nodded their heads, Robin smiled. "I told them that we were a circus troop and were looking for our next gig when we got lost. I'll have them give us directions to the next train stop, and then we can call the bioship and head home. That or call Batman. Either way, none of them should speak English, and if they do, look really confused and start talking in a different language. I really don't want to get our stories mixed up or for you guys to accidentally disrespect someone."

The team nodded and they rejoined the Romanis. The afternoon was filled with singing, dancing, laughter, and food, making Robin glad for the first time that the mission had not gone to plan. Robin almost did not want to say goodbye to the group of travellers as him and his friends decided it was time to go.

When they finally said goodbye, the team disappeared over a hill before jumping in the bioship and flying to the cave. When they arrived, Batman asked for a brief mission report before he and Robin went home.

 **###**

Robin changed into a pair of sweats quickly before joining his mentor at the computer. Bruce was typing a their mission report in such rapid speeds, that Robin found it difficult to keep up.

Bruce swivelled the chair around so that he was facing Dick fully and stared him straight in the eyes. "You were off grid for multiple hours. Why?"

Robin narrowed his eyes at the tone before he forced himself to relax. He knew that Bruce became more gruff when he was worried, which is what often led to them to argue. "We ran. After that, we were lost until Superboy found some sort of camp in the distance. We went there for directions and found a Romani camp. They didn't trust us, and I had to prove myself to be John Grayson's son. After that, we danced, we sang, and we ate lots of food. It was great. I missed that."

Bruce seemed to deflate. "Would you be happier with them?"

Dick knew that that was a legitimate concern for Bruce, but he couldn't help it. He snorted. "It was nice for a day, but I've developed some expensive tastes you know. Not to mention I'd be bored out of my mind. Oh. Let's not forget the lack of fighting crime." He gave Bruce a soft smile. "It was nice to see my heritage. To see the environment that I grew up in. But I wouldn't trade this," he gestured around him vaguely, "for the world. You're my family now Bruce, not some no name distant relative who lives somewhere in Eurasia."

Bruce gave no reply, but the quirk in his lips told Dick everything he needed to know. Bruce thought of Dick as family too.

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 **A/N: To those people who actually read the author's note: Congratulations! You've already read more than most people! Anyways, there's nothing to really write here, except a large thank you to _jodyowl11_ to the delightful idea.**

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 **I'm sure you noticed that I didn't include any actual text for what Robin was saying, this is because Romani is not a written language, and I wanted to respect that. To anyone who's reading this who is actually Romani, I tried hard to learn a little about your culture, but there is only so much you can learn on the internet.**

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 **Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review and have a pleasant day (or night)! Happy reading!**


	17. Anything's Possible in Gotham Take 2

**Anything's Possible in Gotham Take 2**

It was a dark and stormy night in Gotham. That should have been a sign that all hell was about to break loose. For some reason, Gotham criminals seemed to like dark and stormy nights. Probably because it was a cliche.

Robin sat idly on top of the Wayne Corp building as he slowly got drenched to the bone. "Batman? Why can't we make our costumes waterproof?"

Batman made some sort of grunting noise and Robin took that to mean, "Robin that would affect the molecular structure of our costumes, which in turn would affect our fighting. I don't want to lose you over something like making fabric waterproof."

Robin sneezed. He knew that he was going to get sick, and if the redness around Batman's nose was an indicator, so was the Dark Knight.

Robin was startled into alertness when an explosion went off at the Gotham City Bank. Nodding at Batman, the Dynamic Duo launched themselves off the roof and to their awaiting vehicles.

When they arrived, Robin took a moment to admire the villain. The man had an interesting sense of style, and Robin could not help but give him credit for choosing not to care what others thought of him. The man was wearing a diaper and a baby bonnet after all. In his hand, he held what looked to be a giant baby bottle, but Robin was sure that it held some sort of toxic fluid or poisonous gas in it.

The villain seemed to realize that he was being watched. "Ah...the Dynamic Duo I've heard so much about. I am the Babyfier! Get it? Instead of Pacifier? What do you think?"

Robin groaned. Was this guy for real? What was Gotham villains and their love for wordplay? Wait, he liked wordplay. Was that a trait picked up from the villains, or was it the other way around? It would be kind of cool if he had started a trend. He'd have to ask Batman later.

More importantly, he had to answer the man's question with some of his infamous wit. "How long did it take to come up with that? Cause personally I wouldn't like being called a baby villain. The other villains will make fun of you."

Batman launched himself at the Babyfier, and Robin took that as his queue to launch into an attack. The Dynamic Duo seemed to be landing by a landslide until the Babyfier squirted his baby bottle at Robin. Robin watched with horror as a white liquid flew towards him. For some reason, he found himself unable to move out of the way.

Closing his eyes, he prepared himself for the eventual feeling of being wet, or wetter, but it never came. Looking up, Robin watched as Batman flew in front of him and got covered in what appeared to be...milk?

Robin did not know what was going to happen to his mentor. The milk could be some sort of poison or death serum. Launching himself at the Babyfier, Robin fought with renewed vigor that led to the villain being tied up within ten minutes. Taking out a batarang, Robin held it under the man's throat and growled, "What does the liquid do?"

The man let out a small yelp and hurried to say, "It turns anyone into a baby for forty-eight hours. After that, he'll reverse into his normal age. Don't hurt me!"

Robin growled and put a tracker on the villain for the police. Taking a sticky note out of his utility belt, he wrote a quick note and stuck it on the villains forehead. Then he went to look for Batman.

What he found was a gurgling and drooling child that was probably around the age of one. Robin was slightly disturbed to find that his father was naked of all things, even if he was a baby. Grabbing the Batman costume, he placed Batman securely in the emergency booster seat and pressed a button on his utility belt to send the motorcycle back to the cave. Now all he had to do was figure out how to drive the Batmobile. Maybe Batman would finally teach him how to drive after this.

* * *

When Commissioner Jim Gordon arrived at the coordinates Batman had sent him, the last thing he expected to see was a man dressed like a giant baby tied up. He supposed that once he saw the villain, he really should have expected a quip from the Boy Wonder, even if he was not currently at the scene.

So when he saw a sticky note on the man's forehead, Jim Gordon scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. However, once he read the note, he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. He was glad that Robin still had a sense of humor despite what he saw on a nightly basis.

 **Commissioner-**

 **Congratulations! It's a boy!**

 **-Robin**

* * *

Robin trudged into the cave wearily. Baby Bruce, or BB, was a pain in the butt. He wouldn't stop crying despite how many times Alfred changed his diaper, Robin sang him a song, Robin fed him, and Robin tried rocking him asleep.

Alfred had told Robin that he was going to take a day off, and that it was his responsibility to look after Baby Bruce. Robin had decided that there was no way he could handle that alone, which is why he ended up dressing Bruce in a Batman onesie (Why did they even have that?) and putting a tiny mask over his eyes.

Grabbing BB, he went over to the Zeta Beam and entering the coordinates for Mt. Justice.

Surprisingly, BB seemed to like the Zeta Beams and fell fast asleep. Robin groaned. If he had known that that would have worked, he would have tried hours ago.

Wally was the first to notice him. When the speedster opened his mouth, Robin quickly made a hushing motion and made a pointed look at the baby in his arms. Wally's jaw dropped and he zoomed around the cave, quickly gathering the rest of the team.

"Who's the kid?" Artemis questioned silently, as the team cooed over the sleeping child.

Robin internally grinned. Everybody might be cooing now, but wait until they find out who they were cooing at. "Meet BB, otherwise known as Batman."

As predicted the team quickly scrambled away from the sleeping child, as if he'd wake up and give them an infamous glare. Robin wondered if Batman could still glare as a baby. Knowing Bruce, it was definitely possible.

"Oh I get it! BB, Batboy! It makes sense!" M'gann smiled brightly, and Robin nodded along. Wally shot him a sidelong look, and Robin mouthed _Baby Bruce._ Wally nodded and made a zipping motion over his lips.

"Anyways, I came here hoping to get some assistance in caring for him. Batman's father decided that he was a menace enough the first time around and that it was my turn to suffer. Let me tell you, after last night, nobody will ever have to give me a safe sex talk again." Robin shuddered at the idea of having a baby permanently in the manor. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Bruce was aware of his surroundings and decided that this was the best way to get his son to practice safe sex. That was a truly chilling thought.

* * *

After forty-seven of the forty-eight hours were up, Robin returned to the manor. Despite everyone's best efforts, BB had acted like a true menace the entire time. He had ripped out a portion of Artemis' hair, had broken the TV remote, spilled all of M'gann's baking supplies, and much more. Robin was surprised that the team hadn't kicked him and the demon baby out long before he had chosen to leave.

When the forty-eight hours were up, Robin through a blanket over Bruce just in time for the clothed baby to turn into a very naked man. Robin was so glad that he had thought of covering the man up. He had already seen more of the man than he had ever wanted to.

When Bruce was fully situated, and Robin was sure that he was okay, he said, "I hope you know that you were a demon baby. I am never having kids because of you."

With that, Robin left the Batcave to get some much needed sleep. If he had stayed even a moment longer he would have seen the self-satisfied smirk on Bruce's face.

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 **A/N: What do you think? Personally, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, even if the team was not really involved in it.**

 **Let me know what you think by writing a review! Please!**


	18. That Embarrassing Moment When

**That Embarrassing Moment When...**

Robin sighed as he fought against the holograms in the training room with the team. He was waiting for the inevitable moment when Batman would come. Robin winced as he remembered what he may or may not have done. It was all about deniability, even if he was just thinking to himself.

* * *

 _Robin looked around the Batcave. He was so bored. He had finished all of his homework and the only person at the cave was Conner, and all he wanted to do was watch static._

 _Sighing, he started to hack the Batcomputer. If he hacked long enough, he was bound to find some heavily encrypted file that Batman had hidden from him. There was bound to be some interesting reads on there._

 _After three hours, Robin unlocked some sort of file. Clicking into it eagerly, Robin recoiled when he saw it was filled with photos of Selina Kyle. Of Catwoman! And they were clearly meant to be sexy photos! Robin covered his eyes and hastily clicked out of the file when he saw a nude._

 _In his haste, he accidently sent the whole file to every single member of the Justice League. There was no way that Batman wouldn't find out that he was snooping, and that added with the fact that it was in the realm of likelihood that Robin had accidentally sent the file to all League members left the young teen doomed to an early death._

* * *

When the computer announced Batman's arrival, Robin cringed and immediately whisper shouted, "I'm not here!" before launching himself into the rafters.

He knew that Batman would probably find him, but he was holding out on the slim chance that the man would be too enraged to notice him. When Batman stormed into the training room, Robin flinched. He had never, ever, seen the man so mad. Especially if it was directed at him.

"Where's Robin?" Batman hissed. What could be seen of his face was an interesting shade of red.

Wally being the amazing Bro he was said, "Hey Bats. What's up? Rob hasn't been here all day."

Batman growled loudly. "Don't lie to me Wallace. That's his favorite training program for when he's nervous. I can smell your fear Robin."

Robin literally fell off his perch at the last statement. It was a testament of his circus days to him not ending up with multiple broken bones. Robin took one look at his mentor before making a mad dash for the door. Unfortunately, he forgot he was wearing a cape, and Batman grabbed a hold of him.

M'gann floated nervously around them. "Batman. I'm sure whatever he did was not that bad…." She trailed off when she saw the glare Batman was sending her way.

"Um...Bats? That's kinda my best friend and I don't have many of those, so would you kindly let him live?" Wally added helpfully. When Batman turned to glare at him, Wally got the sinking feeling that he'd be down a best friend.

Surprisingly, it was Conner who got through to Batman. "You're hurting him." Batman turned to look at his protege who was no longer struggling, but rather wincing.

Giving a nod to Conner, he turned to Robin. "Care to explain yourself Robin?"

"It's possible I was bored and decided to hack the Batcomputer. And it's not unlikely that I decoded a file and when I saw the contents I freaked out. And I would dare say that it is highly probable that during my haste to exit the file I emailed it to the entire Justice League."

Robin tittered around nervously and Batman felt himself softening slightly. But only just slightly. "You are grounded. You will be cleaning the Batcave and everything in it. In addition, you will figure out how to do damage control. And finally, you will be getting the talk, again."

Robin had not complained about any of the conditions to his punishment until he heard the last one. His face turned bright red and he shouted, "But Daaaadddd!"

Realizing what he said, Robin dove underneath Batman's cape, completely hiding him from the team. Wally immediately burst into loud laughter. The rest of the team did not know what was so funny. They had always assumed that Robin and Batman were a father son duo, which explained their close bond. They did not understand why Robin seemed so embarrassed, Wally was laughing uncontrollably, and Batman's demeanor seemed to soften exponentially.

"Come on Kiddo. Let's go home before Agent A thinks I killed you and hid the body." Batman shuffled slightly before Robin stepped on his feet and allowed his father to walk for him.

Wally sighed and wiped a tear away from the corner of his eye. "Man, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Wait till I tell Supes and Uncle Barry. They love it when Robin slips and calls Bats dad by accident. Man I'm glad the security cameras caught it."

As if listening, the security cameras started to spark violently until all that was left was a heap of black metal. Wally sighed disappointedly. At least they couldn't take away his memory. Right?

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 **A/N: Special thanks to Mikekit for suggesting that Robin call Batman "Dad" in front of the team. Really appreciate the prompt idea.**

 **What did you think? Please review and leave prompt ideas!**


	19. Remembering the Past

**Remembering the Past**

Robin sat on the barstool in the kitchen. He placed his earbuds in his ears before carefully scanning his surroundings. When he didn't see anyone from his team, he scrolled through the music on his phone before clicking play on his favorite song. _The Man on the Flying Trapeze._

Swaying his head gently to the music, Robin started to hum along with the song. He had grown up to this song. His father had played it countless times when they were practicing and it had helped him learn english.

Robin stood up, and allowed his body to move along with the music. He started to do handstands and flips that resembled Capoeira, the Brazilian Martial Art that took after dancing. Robin's personal fighting style had always somewhat resembled Capoeira because of his circus background. However, he tended to fight more in the air than what was taught in traditional Capoeira. Robin liked to think that it was his own personal style shining through.

Robin continued to dance around the kitchen, not noticing as his team walked in. They admired the pure athleticism that went into his dancing, and the grace that he showed subconsciously.

Robin continued to dance until one of his earbuds fell out and he paused to put it in. During that brief moment, he noticed that his team was watching him with what appeared to be amusement shining in their eyes.

Blushing, Robin took out the other earbud and waved awkwardly at the team. "Hey guys? Feeling the aster?"

"No, but apparently you are." Artemis said drolly.

Robin's blush deepened. Why hadn't he waited to dance in the manor? Bruce might have smiled or shaken his head in amusement, but he would never actually comment on it!

Wally grinned before zooming up to Robin, stealing his phone, and zipping to the other side of the room. Entering Robin's password (he knew he shouldn't have used his name!) Wally grinned before saying, "Let's find out what has you dancing Twinkle Toes."

Robin's smile faded suddenly. He prayed to every god he could think of that Wally would not reveal what song he had been listening to. He even prayed to that stupid villain who claimed he was Zeus.

Robin saw the moment that Wally realized what song he was listening to. He doubted that anyone else on the team noticed how Wally's smile went from real to forced within a second. Artemis may have noticed. Robin had observed that she was very perceptive, especially when it came to Wally. He still couldn't figure out how they did not know that they liked each other.

Wally forced his grin to widen slightly. "What's this Robin? Like listening to the Biebs when we're not around? Personally I like _Boyfriend_ a lot more than _Baby_ , but I guess music choice is your prerogative."

Robin's eye twitched slightly under his mask. He was thankful that Wally had covered for him but did he have to make the song _Baby_ of all things. Wally had shown up at the manor only three days prior and they had spent the whole time discussing the pros and cons of liking Justin Beiber's music. It had basically boiled down to this:

 **PRO: It would help them fit in (they needed the help desperately. Apparently a chemistry whiz and a billionaire mathlete weren't prime friend material).**

 **CON: They both hated his music (Bruce used this to advantage. When Dick was grounded and forced to clean the Batcave with a toothbrush (luckily not his) Bruce blasted** _ **Baby**_ **on repeat. It's a very painful experience).**

That was probably why Wally had thought of _Baby._ It was the furthest thing from _The Man on the Flying Trapeze_ that Wally could think of. As thankful as Robin was, Wally should prepare himself for his revenge. He was thinking of setting up the tiny micro speaker prototype that he had helped Bruce develope in Wally's room. Maybe five or six of them that would start playing _Baby_ at random intervals. At full volume. Robin knew from experience that those things were loud. Poor Wally would never be able to convince his Uncle Barry that Robin had set him up. Bats weren't known for their pranks afterall. Only because they were never caught.

Robin allowed his friends five minutes to laugh at him before he got fed up. Ripping his phone violently from Wally's hand, Robin stormed out and punched in the coordinates for the Batcave. Bruce preferred it when he used the other Gotham exit because he didn't want the hero community to have direct access into his house. But at the moment he couldn't care less.

Bruce paused his typing momentarily to greet his son and to scold him for using the Batcave Zeta Beam. The words died in his mouth the second he saw the look on Robin's face. Bruce watched in confusion as Robin practically tore the costume of his body and yanked the mask off of his face. Bruce saw the look in Dick's eyes and tried to recall the importance of today's date. What could have possibly upset him so much?

Realization dawned on him when Dick plugged his phone into the Batcave speakers and _The Man on the Flying Trapeze_ started playing loudly. Bruce watched silently as Robin jumped and flipped around the training mats, allowing his body to do what came naturally.

When the song ended, Bruce stopped it from repeating and walked up slowly to Dick. He opened his arms slightly in a silent invitation, and Dick fell into them, crying slightly. Finally, a small smile graced his face and he whispered, "Happy Birthday Mama."

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The next day of training was grueling. Dick had opted to skip, and Bruce had been supportive, but had told Dick that he needed to go to a meeting. In reality, Bruce had donned his Batman suit and headed to Mt. Justice. He told Black Canary that he would be handling their training for the day. Black Canary had shot them each sympathetic looks before leaving. She knew that there was no way that Batman would back down once he had put his mind to something.

Batman knew he was being irrational. It wasn't the team's fault Dick had been so upset. He was just upset about his mother and couldn't handle the teasing like he normally did. However, he was still bitter that they hadn't noticed they were upsetting his kid. So he made them do another lap around Mt. Justice, enjoying it a little too much when Wally fell face first at the end of the lap.

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 **A/N: Thanks to _Ladynoir1987_ for this fabulous prompt idea. I adored writing it. It was recommended a while ago, but I could never figure out how to start it in a way I liked. **

**Okay...I'm going to give you the list of prompts that I have currently, (excuse typos because honestly, my spelling sucks and I didn't do spell check on this) the italicized parts are the names of the people who suggested it.**

Story about how robin met the league (find video evidence)

April Fools Day (death day anniversary)

REalize Wally knows secret ID

Artemis finds out Wally knows Dick Grayson

Dick Grayson is kidnapped

Dick riddles

Contingency plans

Good with kids

Wally Dick bromance Princess0Bunny

Adoption process (sequel to ch. 15) Mikekit

Guarding Dick/Bruce Sophia the Scribe

 **So I would really appreciate it if you told me what you wanted to see next. Also, I realize that there are 10+ prompts there, but I get kind of weird when there are less than a certain amount and it actually makes it harder for me to write. So if you guys could be the most amazing fans ever and help me think of prompt ideas, I would really appreciate it.**

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 **Make my day and REVIEW!**


	20. How to Lie Under Pressure

**How to Lie Under Pressure**

Dick tapped his foot impatiently. Wally was supposed to be picking him up from school, but as usual the speedster was late. How does that even work? You would think that Wally would notice that he had only five minutes left to be on time and zoom right over. It was kind of ironic actually. The fastest kid alive is also the most tardy? In any case, it was a good cover story. Nobody would believe that Wally West, chronically late to anything and everything was also Kid Flash.

Dick sighed. At this rate, Bruce will have eaten all of Alfred's cookies and Dick will have to deal with a speedster that was promised cookies but never got them. That was not fun. Bruce could attest to that.

Dick resisted the urge to growl and curse at the sky when Artemis saw him and walked over. Knowing Wally's perfect timing, he would arrive just in time for her to start asking questions.

"Hey! You're the creepy freshman! What did you do with my photo?" Artemis demanded as she made her way closer. Dick closed his eyes. He really didn't want to deal with this. Then a plan started to formulate in his head. A way to get even with Wally for being late. And a way to make Artemis uncomfortable!

Slyly, Dick took out his phone and started hacking the school's security cameras. There was no way he was not getting a recording of this. "I'm not creepy. And watch how you talk to people. That wasn't very nice."

Dick had to hide his grin as Artemis visibly counted to ten. He didn't know why he was so worried before. This was really fun! "Why did you take my picture?"

Luckily, Dick did not have to answer. "Dick! There you are bro! I've been looking around for you everywhere!"

Dick turned around to fully face Wally. Apparently the speedster had yet to notice that he was talking to the archer. "Don't lie Wally. You were just late. Again. I'm gonna be pissed if Bruce ate all the cookies before we got home."

Wally scratched his head sheepishly. "Dude, B's watching his figure. The cookies will be fine."

Dick frowned. "That's what you think."

It was at that precise moment that Artemis got over her shock and yelled, "Wally!"

Wally jumped a foot in the air and turned to see Artemis. He paled slightly and looked at her and then Dick. Then back to Artemis. Dick cocked his head. "Wally. Bruce would be very disappointed in you. You know how he likes to say that if you aren't vigilant, you'll end up kidnapped. Again." In truth, Bruce usually said that you'll end up dead, but Dick doubted that that would be appropriate to say. Wait. If appropriate was something good to say in a given situation, what was propriate? Something neutral to say in a situation? He'd have to ask Bruce later.

Now it was time to have some fun. "Say Wally? How do you know Artemis? I mean I just met her, and you live all the way in Central City?"

Wally stammered for a minute before blurting out, "We're in the same bookclub!"

Dick blinked. This kept getting better and better. If this was some sort of karmic reward for saving people from villains, he was never going to stop. "Must be some bookclub as Artemis lives in Gotham and you live in Central City."

Wincing slightly Wally said, "It's located in Central. Artemis comes down with her uncle, Oliver Queen."

Poor, poor, Wally. He had just made things so much worse. Turning to Artemis, he smiled. "Oliver Queen's niece, huh? I've met Roy Harper, but I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you? Do you attend society events with your uncle often? I know they're a bore but you must have gone to at least one. These things are usually mandatory. Or so Bruce tells me."

Artemis frowned. "I don't attend. And what would you know of high society anyways? You hang out with Barbara Gordon and are here on a math scholarship." Artemis did not know if the latter were true, but rumors said it was, and as he hanged out with a scholarship kid she assumed that he was too.

Dick burst out laughing. He had never met someone who didn't know who he was on sight! This was marvelous! Artemis thought he was a scholarship kid, when in fact, most scholarship students avoided him because he was rich, and the rich kids avoided him because he had not been born with the money. The only exception of course being the ever wonderful and beautiful Barbara Gordon. Though she had instructed him to call her that.

Wally shifted closer to Artemis, watching Dick for any sudden movements. He gave her a brief smile, still worried about his friend's sanity. "Artemis. Do you seriously not know who he is?" Artemis shot him a glare which Wally took as his sign to continue. "That's Dick Grayson. Bruce Wayne's adopted son. He's the sole heir to Wayne's billions. Probably one of the richest kids in the world."

Dick wiped a tear from his eye as his laughter slowly dies down. "Sorry. I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at the idea of you not knowing who I was. I'm just so used to being followed and photographed. It was refreshing."

"I don't get it. Shouldn't you be the most popular kid at this school? You are the richest. And how the hell do you know Wally?" Artemis was baffled. When she had heard that Bruce Wayne's son went to school here, she had assumed that he would be the popular all american football player. Not some scrawny dweeb who had what seemed to be one friend attending the school.

Dick tapped a finger on his chin. "Why would I be popular? I mean I have money sure, but unlike the other rich kids here, I don't spend it on frivolous things. I donate my allowance to the orphanages in Gotham. I want to prevent what happened to me from happening to other kids. That, and I'm not born from money, and they're all snobs. Scholarship kids don't tend to like me cause I'm technically rich."

Artemis felt gobsmacked. She was complaining about not fitting in at the school, but there were plenty of kids kind to her. Most were on a Wayne Scholarship, but others, like Bette, were just nice. So why would they chose to ostracize this kid?

"They don't want to get attached. They're certain that Bruce will send me back. Or ask for a circus to take me in." Dick offered her a smile. It unnerved her slightly that Dick had been able to read her so well. Only Robin had been able to do that.

"As for knowing Wally, we met when Bruce and I got stuck in Central City. We were at the police station, and Wally was meeting up with his Uncle. Been friends ever since. Oh, Wally. I forgot to ask how the flight over was."

Wally chatted for a moment about an awesome seat partner, a total lie because everyone knew that Wally had just ran to Gotham, but Artemis did not know that Dick knew that. Dick figured that he should probably troll one more time before they left. For good time's sake.

"Glad you felt the aster, Wally."

Both Wally and Artemis froze, their mouths hanging open for different reasons.

Dick internally grinned that he was able to get such a good reaction. Wait till he shows Bruce later! On second thought, that might not be such a good idea. It would probably be safer to show Alfred.

Fixing a confused expression on his face, Dick innocently asked, "What? What did I say?"

Seeing that Wally was unable to speak, Artemis finally choked out, "Aster?"

Dick scrunched up his eyebrows further. "Yeah, apparently it's the opposite of disaster. Robin asked me to say it in my day-to-day life. He figured that if I say it enough, it'll become a trend. I don't really get it, but the guy saves me often enough for me to say aster from time-to-time."

Artemis blinked. That made a lot of sense. There was no way the son of a billionaire was Robin. It just wasn't possible. She supposed that Robin could have given Dick a picture of her and asked him to say the word 'aster' in front of her. That would explain the photo he took of her too. Robin was such a troll!

Dick practically read what Artemis was thinking and snorted in amusement. At this rate, she would never figure it out.

Grabbing Wally's wrist, he started to drag the older boy away. "Bye Artemis! It was nice talking to you! We have to go before Bruce blames us for the weight he put on when we weren't there to stop him from eating all the cookies."

Waving goodbye to Artemis, Dick dragged Wally down the stairs to where a sleek Bentley was waiting for them. Throwing himself inside, Dick sagged into the seat. Watching amusedly as Wally struggled to climb in without tripping himself, he said, "Hey Alfred. How was your day?"

The butler smiled from the front seat. "Quite alright Master Dick. And you?"

Dick grinned widely. "The last half hour certainly made up for it. That was so much fun."

Wally glared at his friend. "Why'd you do that! Do you realize how much you put me on the spot?"

Dick blinked. "You were late and I was bored. And seriously, book club? Anything would've been better! Say you met playing laser tag! Or at the police department! Or that you were out for a jog and tripped over her while she was visiting a friend in Central. That would have been believable Kid Klutz, but book club?"

Wally sank into his seat and groaned loudly. He covered his face with his hands and leaned back. Moving his fingers slightly so that he could peak at Dick, he asked, "Were you serious about Bruce?"

Dick shrugged. "Kinda. He'll eat them all, but he won't put on any weight. We just won't have any cookies."

Wally groaned louder and recovered his face. From the front seat, Alfred cleared his throat softly. "Not to worry Mister West. I made a quintuple batch this morning in preparation for your arrival. I certainly hope that Master Bruce cannot eat that many cookies."

Wally cheered. "Then it was all worth it! Alfred's cookies are the best!"

###

Bruce stared at his laptop trying to figure out which emotion he should feel. Amused or horrified? Pride or anger? It was a coin toss really.

He had been trying to read an extremely long, dry, and pointless email when an alert sounded on his phone saying that Dick was hacking the school security system. Thinking that Dick could be in trouble, Bruce hacked into the system, so he could see and hear what was going on.

He watched as Dick continuously and relentlessly trolled Artemis, putting Wally on the spot. Dick was obviously enjoying himself, as the other two struggled to come up with lies fast enough.

In the end, Bruce watched in horror as Dick slipped and said 'aster.' Apparently he shouldn't have worried because Dick had explained that Robin had requested him to use the word. Even he couldn't hear or see the lie, and he was experienced at reading Dick Grayson.

He wondered if he should tell Dick that playing games like that was not only mean, but also dangerous. It was more than likely that Dick had hacked the security system so that he could get a copy of the video. And it was probable that Dick would not show Bruce the video. So Bruce decided that he would hint at his knowledge, but act innocent when questioned. He would drive Dick mad by referencing certain parts of the conversation but acting like he had no idea what was said in the video until Dick showed it to him. That method always got Dick to spill. It was only a matter of time.

Bruce wondered if he was being hypocritical. He wanted to teach Dick not to play games with people by playing Dick. But then he decided that playing games ran in the family. He would just be imparting more family knowledge into his son.

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 **A/N: So here it is. Artemis finds out that Wally West and Dick Grayson know each other, then add in some helicopter parenting from Bruce and some Wally and Dick Bromance.**

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 **I personally liked this chapter, but let me know what you think, and let me know what you want to see next!**


	21. The Art of Being a Hostage

**The Art of Being a Hostage**

Dick sighed as he tried to shift and get more comfortable. Unfortunately, when you're tied to a chair with your own tie used as your gag, that was impossible. It had started off as a good day too. Bruce had decided that he would sponsor a team bonding trip to a private island. It would be one week of relaxation on a tropical island in the Caribbean. His day had only gone wrong after masked men had invaded the school and started shooting at the ceiling. Knowing that more people would be hurt if the police were to arrive before they could escape, Dick offered himself up in return for the freedom and safety of everyone else.

Which is how he ended up tied to a chair, and completely and utterly bored. The men weren't even that original. In the five years since Bruce had taken him in, he had been a hostage a total of fourteen times. The fact of the matter was that all kidnappings followed the same plotline. He was kidnapped and tied up. Kidnappers came and asked him to talk to Bruce through a video or phone call. He got punched a few times for mouthing off. He faced severe boredom. He escaped using his mad skills. And finally, the Justice League came to save him. Minus Batman of course, Bruce was always the first civilian that he saw.

Dick tried to crack his neck. He had to give the guys credit. They knew how to tie up a hostage. They were on the other hand behind schedule. By now, they should have already come to supply proof of life. What were they trying to accomplish? Bruce already knew he had been kidnapped, as it was witnessed by everyone at Gotham Academy. Not to mention Artemis witnessed it.

Dick paused. If Artemis knew that he had been kidnapped, would the Young Justice team be coming for him instead of the Justice League? If that were the case, he would have to be on his best behavior. He would have to make Bruce proud of his trolling abilities. Especially because he had just found out that Baby Bruce had been messing with him the whole time.

As thoughts of messing with his teammates swirled through his mind, Robin took a moment to fully observe his surroundings. He was in what appeared to be a warehouse with nothing in the room except him and the chair. Large beams connected to the rafters and created daunting shadows that would even impress Batman. More importantly, they would create a perfect hiding spot.

By the time the kidnappers finally arrived, Dick had formed a general plan on how to mess with the team if they did in fact show up. Dick had a feeling that it would be Superman who assigned that mission and that he would wake up to find that all his clothes had the Bat Clan patented kryptonite itching powder in them again.

Dick allowed the men to record a video of him. He decided to amp it up by saying, "Help me Bruce T. Wayne, you're my only hope."

The kidnappers didn't seem to get what he found so funny, but didn't press the issue. Dick felt indignant when one of them muttered, "Rich kids." You did not have to be rich to enjoy cinematic masterpieces such as Star Wars.

When the men left again, Dick figured that this was his chance. He contorted his body in a way that would not be possible for most people, and shimmied out of his bindings. He wondered if kidnappers would ever get smarter. Hopefully not. Deciding to play it safe and not reveal his identity, Dick shimmied up the steel beams and sank into the shadows of the rafters. It would be impossible to spot him unless a person knew where he was to begin with.

Dick watched with an amused smile as someone came in to check on him and found nothing but an empty chair and a pile of ropes. His amusement grew further when the rest of the men responded to the first one's shouts and ran in. He tensed slightly as they began to look for him but relaxed when he realized that they never looked up. Kidnapping 101 was too know all about your target, and obviously these guys did not know the first thing about him if they hadn't figured out that a circus brat was going to climb up and not stay on the ground.

When the warehouse door exploded off it's hinges, Dick could hardly count himself as surprised. It was about time that someone had come to rescue him. Even if he did not need rescuing.

Dick watched quietly as his team burst through the opening and quickly took down the opposition. It was probably the first time that something in their mission had not gone totally wrong.

Dick watched as Wally zoomed around the room like a chicken without its head. "He's not here! Why isn't he here! Artemis aren't these the right guys? What's going on! What if he's hurt! I can't live with myself if he got hurt! How else will I get my supply of cookies! He's my bro!"

Dick couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that he ended up hanging upside down, using his legs to hold onto the beam tightly.

"Speedy? What's got you so worried? I don't even know you! Besides the only friend I supply with cookies is Wally. You wouldn't happen to know him would you? If he's feeding you my cookies, tell him he can say goodbye to them. They were meant for his mouth only. Well maybe his Uncle Barry's too."

Dick internally smirked as Wally froze and started to freak out. Of course he knew that Dick Grayson knew who they all were, but nobody else did. Which was what made this fun.

"My name's Kid Flash." Wally ground out. Dick blinked innocently before shrugging. He was still upside down, so he didn't know if they caught the movement.

"Whatever. Can you guys move, I'm gonna jump down. It's been forever since I had this much height to work with." With that, he swung and let his body flip in the air. He felt the air rush by his face until it suddenly stopped.

Opening his eyes, he found himself floating, surrounded by a soft green glow that he knew to belong to Miss Martian's powers. He struggled momentarily, but was ultimately placed softly on the ground before M'gann rushed over to him. "Are you alright? You could have been seriously hurt! Why did you jump?"

Was she messing with him? "I told you, it's been forever since I got that kind of height! I would've been fine. Grew up in a circus and all that. I know how to roll before flipping into a few handsprings to break my fall."

When he received no response, Dick decided that it was officially time to mess with them. "So...you guys like the sidekicks or something? The only one I recognize is the speedster over there."

Kaldur offered a tight smile. "We are a team founded by the Justice League. Although we prefer the term 'partner' to sidekick."

Dick looked around while waving his hand dismissively. "Is Robin here? Word on the streets is that he joined a team and that's why he isn't around as often."

"I'm afraid Robin had a previous engagement." Kaldur said stiffly. There was something about how the boy disregarded him that got on his nerves.

"That's too bad. I was hoping to make this lucky number seven." Dick sat down in his abandoned chair and started to mess around with the ropes. When he received a bunch of blank looks, he sighed. "The number of times he's rescued me from a kidnapper. Although these days, I've turned into quite the escape artist. Perhaps I should ask Bruce to help me find Zatara so that I can thank him properly."

Dick shifted and gave Wally a sly smile. "Hey Flash Boy? Are you ever gonna introduce me to your girlfriend?" Dick explained further upon seeing Wally's confused face. Poor Wally, he deemed himself a ladies man but did not understand his own feelings. "The archer that is in no shape or form Speedy, who's sarcasm and sass lends him to be one of my favorite heroes."

"I'm afraid that I did not know that you knew Speedy." Kaldur replied after a moment of silence.

"I know a lot of people. For example I know this girl named Artemis at my school, who looks a lot like Flash Kid's girlfriend over here." Dick smiled sweetly, and cackled internally at Artemis' panicked look. This was definitely worth being kidnapped again!

"He meant heroes." Conner cut in gruffly.

Dick tilted his head to the side. "Sure. I know the Justice League. Who do think usually saves me when I'm kidnapped. Not to mention Batman and Robin."

It was Artemis who finally asked, "I get why you've met Batman and Robin. But why would the rest of the League go through the trouble of rescuing you?" A moment later she added, "No offense."

Dick pondered it for a moment before he let the proverbial bomb drop. "Probably because Bruce foots a majority of the bill for the Justice League. Who do you think pays for the destroyed buildings, the Watch Tower, and all the food. Not to mention the research, the weapons, the transportation, and the communication. If Bruce decided to suddenly stop funding the League, there wouldn't be a Justice League anymore."

Dick heard the police sirens in the distance. "I do believe that's your queue to go. Don't worry, the tale of your heroism will be adequately told." Dick started to walk to the entrance of the warehouse when he paused. "By the way, it took you guys two hours, fifty three minutes, and twenty nine seconds to rescue me after I had been kidnapped. The League usually has me out after an hour."

Dick walked away whistling to the sounds of his disgruntled teammates. When the police arrived, he fell into Bruce's waiting arms before telling the police how he managed to escape his bounds and hide before the sidekicks showed up and took out the kidnappers.

The next day, newspapers around the country were reporting that sidekicks from some of the major heroes had managed to rescue poor Richard Grayson. Much to the teams annoyance and Robin's delight, most of the article focused on how Robin was not there at the time due to a previous engagement, and speculations of what that could have been. The article also managed to mess up every one of their names but Richard Grayson's and Robin's.

Dick was lounging in his bed snacking on a cookie while reading the article when he received a text from Wally.

 **Wally: Dude. Artemis is freaking out about 'Dick Grayson' knowing who she is**

 **Wally: That was kind of mean**

 **Wally: And she's not my gf!**

 **Dick: But you want her to be**

 **Dick: I was just nudging you guys along as an unbiased spectator**

 **Wally: ...**

 **Wally: Why did you tell her that she looks like herself?**

 **Dick: No response to wanting her to be your gf?**

 **Wally: Shut up you dick!**

 **Dick: Yes Wally?**

 **Wally: Shut up and answer the question!**

 **Dick: I'll show you why**

Dick entered his phone's photo gallery and selected his most recent photo before grinning and hitting send. Like a true son of Batman, he had managed to take a photo of Artemis, without anyone noticing, right after he had compared her to the Artemis he knew from school.

In the photo, her face was turning a delicate shade of pink and she was sputtering, obviously looking for a response. Dick liked to think that if her were to post this photo on the internet it would go viral. He of course, was nowhere near that mean. Wally on the other hand, might do it without thinking of the repercussions. Which is why he sent it to Wally of course.

 **Wally: …**

 **Wally: I forgive you**

 **Wally: I'm gonna post this on my instagram**

 **Wally: And my snapchat**

 **Wally: Hold on I'm making a facebook account**

 **Wally: Twitter here I come!**

 **Wally: You haven't responded in a while**

 **Wally: …**

 **Wally: I just made a huge mistake didn't I**

 **Wally: Dick, please help me erase from the internet**

 **Wally: Dick?**

 **Dick: The person you are trying to reach is not available. If you need tech assistance please press 1. If you need advice, please press 2. If you want to talk to a live operator, please press 3**

 **Wally: 1,2,3**

 **Dick: Please call this number….(xxx)xxx-xxxx**

Wally dialed the phone number nervously. It was obviously not Dick's cell phone number, and he did not recognize it to belong to anyone else. Checking the time, Wally noted that it was around 3 a.m. Figuring that it was okay to dial the number as Dick had given it to him, Wally dialed.

"Hello?" a groggy voice asked. Wally panicked. This was not Dick! What should he do! "This is Bruce Wayne, how'd you get this number?"

Wally hung up and ran down the hall. Pounding on his uncle's bedroom door, he didn't wait to be told he could come in before dashing in. "Wally? What's the matter?"

"I need to change my phone number and move to Argentina!"

The absolute panic in his nephew's voice made Barry more alert. "What happened?"

With wide eyes filled with fear, Wally quietly said, "I think I just prank called Batman."

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 **A/N: Sometimes I wonder how my brain works. I went from Dick being a hostage to Wally prank calling Bruce by accident. Don't really know how that happened, but whatever. It turned out okay in the end I think.**

 **As always, your reviews are beyond appreciated. Especially those who leave new ideas *hint hint nudge nudge* So here's what I have officially.**

Story about how robin met the league (find video evidence)

April Fools Day (death day anniversary)

REalize Wally knows secret ID

Dick riddles

Contingency plans

Good with kids

Wally Dick bromance Princess0Bunny

Adoption process (sequel to ch. 15) Mikekit

Guarding Dick/Bruce Sophia the Scribe

Bruce trolling Princess0Bunny

Alternate Dimension (JL) BaeKat101

Joker/Fear gas Doggylove613

 **Keep in mind that I may have sudden inspiration and not write something on this list. If you suggested something that's not here, please remind me because I (in all likelihoods) wrote it down on a sticky note and forgot about it. Most of the time, I check reviews when I'm out of the house, so sometimes I'm bad and forget about the amazing things that you guys have said or suggested. I'm trying to be better about that.**

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 **Anyways...please review and chose which stories you like best!**


	22. What Happens at 2 amStays at 2 am

**What Happens at 2 a.m...Stays at 2 a.m.**

Robin swept a lazy glance around the room. Soda bottles and pizza boxes littered the floor, along with pillows and blankets. The team sat in a rough circular shape lounging and snacking on the remaining pizza. It was two a.m. which Robin should have taken as the first sign of the incoming disaster. Nothing good happens after two a.m.

It was Wally's fault, as usual. "Guys. I have the best idea ever! What if we prank called people! We'd use each other's phones and dial random people on our contacts list! Like Artemis can call my Uncle Barry or something!"

Robin in his sleep deprived state did not think of the possible ramifications of Wally's idea. In his defense, he thought Wally would have learned after the last time.

Which is how the team ended up calling random members of the Justice League. It was funny at first, when Artemis used her phone to call Uncle Barry, pretending that she was an angry housewife in Vietnam. Then there was Wally's sales call to the king of Atlantis. And M'gann's call to Superman asking for money for her school's PTA.

Robin was so caught up in laughing that he did not notice when Conner dialed Wally's called phone number. He did not notice that there was no name attached to the number and that the number was one he had memorized five years ago.

So when he heard Bruce's sleepy voice mumbling, "Hello?" he freaked out.

Wally seemed to notice at the same time, and both boys gestured frantically for Conner to hang up. Unfortunately, Conner did not get the memo.

"Who is this? Wally is that you again? What the hell is going on?" Robin winced at the explosive nature of Bruce's voice. He knew that only he could hear the tinge of fear intermixed with the anger. He was worried that Wally had called for a reason and not for a prank call. Bruce probably thought that even Wally was not stupid enough to do that.

Robin gestured frantically at Wally to say something while Wally gestured frantically at him. Finally Robin gave him a Bat Glare. It was Wally's idea, he was the one coming up with an excuse.

"Wallace West! I know you can hear me. I can hear you breathing over the line. Tell me why you called me at three a.m. right now!"

Wally gulped nervously before taking a deep breath. "Mr. Wayne? Did I call you? I must've butt dialed you! Total accident. Everything's fine Mr. Wayne. I just don't have one of those new smart phone like Dick. Mine doesn't lock, so I can butt dial, and you were the last person I called so…"

"Wallace. Shut up. Tell your Uncle you need a new phone because he will be hearing from a very unhappy Bruce Wayne if he doesn't. I do not want to be called again by you after midnight unless it's an emergency. And do not give my phone number out. I don't care how much money you'll get." There was an audible click before the dial tone sounded.

Robin and Wally sank back and let out a deep sigh. On the bright side, they had managed to keep Bruce from verbally murdering them. On the down side, Bruce definitely knew that Wally hadn't butt dialed him, and Robin had to go home before Batman showed up.

Wincing slightly, Robin stood up and brushed a few stray crumbs off of him. He definitely was not looking forward to this. Grabbing his phone, he trudged to the Zeta Beams and flashed to the Batcave to his impending doom.

The team watched with silent curiosity. "I do not understand. Why did Robin need to go?" M'gann asked softly.

Wally rubbed the back of his neck and tried to come up with a believable lie. " Okay. We just accidently called Bruce Wayne, arguably one of the richest and most influential men in the world. He funds the league, and if he were to tell the public that he no longer supports the Justice League, we would definitely be shut down."

Conner frowned. "What has that have to do with Robin? And why would you have his phone number?"

Running a hand through his hair, Wally shifted. "I have his number because his son is one of my best friends. He didn't tell me who he was when we met, so it took a while for me to figure out that he was always wearing a hoodie and a baseball cap when we went out because he did not want the paparazzi to find him. Anyways, Mr. Wayne gave me his personal phone number in the case of emergencies."

"That still does not explain Robin's strange behavior." Artemis commented evenly, her eyes beginning to narrow.

"Robin still had his costume on." Wally rushed out, remembering a tidbit of information that Robin had once mentioned offhandedly.

M'gann's head tilted slightly and she looked confused. Wally knew he wasn't making sense, but he was coming up with his story as he told it, so it was going better than expected.

"Batman put sensors in Robin's costume that monitored his vitals, so if he ever got hurt while Bats wasn't around, Batman would know. Naturally, when he heard Bruce Wayne's voice, he freaked out and his vitals went crazy. Robin went home before a vengeful Batman could come here. We really should be thanking him. He took one for the team today."

Wally could see the lingering doubt on his teammates faces. Shrugging internally, he decided that he gave it his best shot and he would tell Robin the cover story later. Hopefully the team wouldn't care enough to pursue the issue.

###

Robin trudged into the Batcave just as Bruce was finishing putting on his suit. Announcing his presence, he watched as Bruce sagged slightly. Tearing off the mask, Dick walked carefully over to his mentor before leaning slightly against the wall. "Wally accidentally prank called you again. That's why my vitals went crazy. I'm fine. I promise."

Bruce chuckled humorlessly before saying, "Would you tell me if you weren't fine?"

Dick blinked, stunned by the question. Normally he received a grunt, and that was the end of the conversation. Bruce must have had a nightmare or something if he was not taking his word concerning his well-being.

Biting his lip slightly, Dick finally asked, "Would you?"

Bruce frowned at the question. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, each time failing to utter a single word.

Dick gave a small smile and placed a hand on Bruce's arm. "I tell you, if you tell me?"

Bruce touched the hand on his arm briefly before ruffling Dick's hair. "Deal." Grunting slightly, Bruce began to walk away. Pausing in front of the locker rooms, he said, "Don't think you're not grounded for waking me up and worrying me. And next time you want to stay the night at Mt. Justice, tell me, so that I don't have to hack the GPS location of your phone."

Robin gaped as Bruce walked away. He thought he had made his phone unhackable! And he had told Flash to tell Bruce that he was staying the night at Mt. Justice. Apparently, the speedster had not passed along the message. Coward.

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 **A/N: I'm alive! Funny story, I wrote this two weeks ago and forgot to upload it. Please don't hurt me!**

 **This kind of just wrote itself so...I really can't tell you how it started.**

 **What should I write next? Your choice!**

Story about how robin met the league (find video evidence)

April Fools Day (death day anniversary)

REalize Wally knows secret ID

Dick riddles

Contingency plans

Good with kids

Wally Dick bromance Princess0Bunny

Adoption process (sequel to ch. 15) Mikekit

Guarding Dick/Bruce Sophia the Scribe

Bruce trolling Princess0Bunny

Alternate Dimension (JL) BaeKat101

Joker/Fear gas Doggylove613

Team civilian ID's at Wayne event...try to guess who's who. (JL also attending)

 **Please review! Happy reading!**


	23. Of Ball Gowns and Secret Identities

**Of Ball Gowns and Secret Identities**

Wally tugged at the collar of his waiter uniform. The team was attending the Wayne Charity Gala undercover. He had immediately spotted Artemis in a nice dress, Kaldur taking photographs, and Conner and M'gann both on the wait staff, but he had yet to see Robin. Of course, he was the only one on the team who realized that Robin would be attending as Dick Grayson and not some sort of hired help.

 _Anyone seen Robin yet?_ M'gann asked kindly through the mind link. Wally had to actively think about how pretty Barbara Gordon looked to keep himself from thinking about Dick Grayson. From across the room, Dick gave him a hard glare before returning to his conversation with Barbara.

 _Rest assured, Ms. M, I am here. I'm with Batman. Apparently, there is no need to compromise our civilian ID's for this mission. The rest of the JLA is here too. Why don't you guys try and spot them. I'll tell you if your right or not. Though if they ask, I never told you. Outloud that is._ Wally shivered as Robin's signature cackle rang out at the same time as his polite laugh. That cackle was definitely a sign of things to come.

###

The night proceeded along fairly eventless. The team would point out people who they believed were heroes, and Robin would either confirm or deny their allegations. The problem came when Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne walked up to Wally. Dick made an exaggerated squinting face before saying in a surprised voice, "Wally? That you, man?"

Wally had no choice but to nod and watch as what was undoubtedly going to be a train wreck, came his way. Wally listened to the excited murmurs in his head as his teammates wondered how exactly he knew Dick Grayson of all people, and why he hadn't told them. Hearing Robin's cackle in his head made him want to punch his best friend in his face. Repeatedly.

"Hey Dick. Mr. Wayne. Real nice party you got here." Wally said while awkwardly fidgeting with his serving platter.

"Dude! Why are you in Gotham, and not in Central City, where you live?" Wally saw the laughter and evilness shining in his friend's eyes, and for the hundredth time since he met Robin, he wondered why he was friends with him.

"Well you know, I came with my Uncle Barry for some sort convention in the neighboring city. I heard about this shindig and decided to serve as a waiter. You have any idea what kind of money we're getting paid!" Wally knew he sounded ridiculous. He wouldn't believe him, and he knew for a fact that Dick was not nice enough to just drop it.

Dick smirked slightly and Bruce expertly raised one eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that you were out near Gotham and didn't tell me? And if you needed cash so badly, I would've given you some!"

Wally panicked momentarily. How was he supposed to respond to that? "I was going to call tomorrow and you know I don't want to take your money. I want to warn it."

Dick shrugged. "Please. I would've made you clean my room for me. Or the basement. You would be able to clean it faster than I ever could."

Wally was now full on panicking. He needed to leave this conversation before Dick revealed that he knew Wally's secret ID to the team. Or worse, Bruce Wayne joined in on the trolling. "Well you know, I'll keep that in mind for next time. But for now, I should probably get back to being a waiter. And you guys probably should mingle. With other people. Who aren't teenagers. Important people."

Dick pouted. "Are you sure? I could get you off now and still allow you to have full pay. I'm sure Artemis wouldn't mind acting as a waitress. She looks really uncomfortable in her dress."

Hearing Artemis' angry yells in his head, Wally shook it frantically. "No! I'm good. In fact I'm great. Go mingle with someone else!"

Dick frowned slightly and Wally could hear the unspoken 'I don't wanna stop messing with Wally!' Sighing, Dick nodded. "I'll see you later man. Make sure you call next time you're in town."

Dick turned to leave, when Bruce finally spoke up. "Wallace? Batman told me to tell you that children should not be up past their bedtimes unless they are willing to pay extreme consequences. Any idea what it could mean?"

Wally was ashamed to admit that he let out a small squeak of terror. The sentence may have been said in a confused tone, but the message behind it was clear. Wake him up again, and there would be repercussions. "No Sir. No idea what it means. I'll be sure to keep it in mind though. I really should get back to work."

Wally scurried off and decided that Bruce Wayne was just as intimidating as Batman. Through the mind link, he heard his friend's confusion and Robin's glee at his discomfort. Deciding to shut his friend up, he revealed, _Robin has a huge crush on Barbara Gordon._

As expected, Robin's laughter immediately died and his discomfort began. Wally felt a vindictive glee as Robin started stuttering about her red hair and her bravery during a kidnapping attempt and how she wanted to be a hero too.

Wally's pleasure only grew as he watched Dick Grayson start blushing from his place next to Bruce and the Gordons. Wally couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard Barbara ask why Dick was blushing. He knew that there would be revenge on Dick's part, and that it would not be pretty, but he couldn't help but think that it was so worth it.

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 **A/N: So there was a little Bruce trolling action in there for _Princess0Bunny_ but it was mostly Robin trolling Wally and Wally and Dick bromance. I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but I can't really see them as a couple, mainly because Wally and Artemis make so much sense and because I get the feeling that Dick is a little like Bruce in the way that he treats women. On top of that, I just think that everybody needs a best friend, and these two (and Roy) got each other's backs in a way that the others simply cannot understand. **

**On a different non-ranting note, this story is 65 pages long now! I don't really know why I felt like sharing that, but that's a lot.**

 **Please write a review and leave any story prompts you may have!**


	24. Awkward Meetings

**Awkward Meetings**

Artemis glanced to her sides were her friends were walking beside her. All except Robin, that is. They had decided to go to the mall together, but Robin had backed out last second saying that he had promised Batman that he would help him shop for a birthday present for Agent A. Personally, Artemis thought that Robin just did not want to go shopping. She didn't really want to go shopping either, but after seeing the disappointment on M'gann's face when Robin said that he could not attend, she decided that she kind of had to go.

So now, they were walking around Happy Harbor Mall, wandering from place to place with no real destination in mind. Absentmindedly she wondered if Robin was having a better time with whatever he was doing. "You guys wanna get ice cream?" Wally asked, boredom evident in his voice.

Shrugging noncommittally, they made their way towards the ice cream kiosk, and placed their orders. They had just received their orders when a blur ran past them and crashed into Wally.

Wally blinked slowly and realized that not only was he on the ground, but he was wearing his ice cream. Worse, the guy who had crashed into him did not have a single drop of his delectable treat on his pristine suit. Wally looked up at the man ready to yell when he realized that who he was looking at was his best friend Dick Grayson. The dots seemed to connect in his brain, and Wally realized that Dick had probably seen him and then decided to make Wally wear his ice cream in revenge for embarrassing him at the gala the week before.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry. Let me buy you a new one." Wally's eyes narrowed at the trace of amusement he saw dancing in Dick's eyes. He was definitely not sorry. "Wait? Wally? What are you doing here? You told me you live in Central City!"

Wally did not know what he did to deserve this. Well he did, but this was just too cruel. Especially as Bruce Wayne walked up and gave him a confused look. "Wally? What are you doing here? And how do you know Miss Crock?"

"I do live in Central City. Dick, you've been to my house. I'm just here with my book club. Remember, Dick, me and Artemis are in the same book club together? These are the other members." Wally could hear the confusion from Kaldur, Conner, and M'gann in his head, but what could he do? He needed them to think that Dick Grayson believed him. Even though Dick Grayson was currently laughing his head off mentally.

"Your whole book club worked at the Wayne Gala?" Bruce asked suspiciously. Wally shot him a desperate look that clearly conveyed, _I have enough to deal with with Dick trolling. I don't need you to add yourself to the mix._ Bruce shot him an unimpressed look in return.

"We needed the money. To buy new books. We thought it would be fun."

Dick shot him a skeptical look. "You thought working at a high society event would be fun? Where every person is rude to you because you are seen as beneath them. Where people hide insults within their compliments. Where everyone is so fake that living in an animated world would be more real. You really thought that could be considered as fun?"

"I didn't know it would be that bad." Wally tried.

"Really? After I've spent the last few years complaining? After Bruce has complained?"

"It was an easy way to get money quickly."

Dick shuffled slightly. "Right. For books. Wally? Can I ask you a question?"

Wally stilled. Dick's voice had become soft and fragile, which was never a good sign. In all probability, it meant that he was going in for the killing blow. "Sure Dick. Whatever. The Wallman is all about giving good advice."

"Why are you friends with me?" Wally's brain stuttered to a halt. What the hell was that supposed to mean? His confusion must have read across his face because Dick continued. "You told me that you had no other friends. Yet I find out that you're a part of some shady book club. I'm not stupid Wally. I know you're not actually in a book club but you don't want me to know about whatever you're actually doing. I've been honest with you. You know that you and Babs are my only friends. And Roy. But Roy has other issues, and there's the age gap which can make things weird sometimes. And there's the fact that him and Ollie don't get along, so he can't understand how I can get along so well with Bruce." Dick cut himself off and looked up at Wally with large, watery eyes. "The point is, why are you my friend?"

Wally's brain was still trying to catch up, so he only managed to say, "Huh?"

Bruce wrapped a protective arm around his ward's shoulders. There was a slight gleam in his eyes that made Wally want to hide, because he knew that it could only mean trouble. "Wallace? Did your Uncle force you to be friends with Dick? Or are you friends with him because of my money?" Unseen to the wide eyes if the team, Dick and Bruce fist bumped.

"No! I just, I have friends Dick! And I didn't want you to feel bad! I mean, you have such a hard time because nobody wants to be your friend! And you're such a great guy! So, yeah, I'm not completely the loser I made myself out to be. Granted, I don't have that many friends at school either."

Face falling Dick shuffled around slightly before nodding his head. "Oh. Thank you I guess. I guess I'll leave you guys alone. Bruce and I really have to get going."

Wally frowned. Had he gone too far? The glare that Bruce was sending his way sure seemed to imply so. "Oh yeah. What are you doing in Happy Harbor? Gotham has a mall doesn't it?"

Dick shrugged. "We needed to shop for Alfred's birthday present, and Gotham's mall was closed for a murder investigation."

"No kidding? What happened?" Wally inquired, completely forgetting that his best friend was probably mad at him and they were in public.

"Do I look like Commissioner Gordon to you? Or Robin for that matter? I know! You must think I'm Batman. With the whole 'I am the night' thing I've got going on."

Conner seemed to not recognize the sarcasm. "You are too young to be Batman and Commissioner Gordon. And you are not athletic enough to be Robin."

Dick's eyes narrowed. "First of all, sarcasm. Learn it. Second of all, I've met all three of them. Can you say the same? Besides. I wasn't talking to you Superman."

Turning to Bruce, he said, "Can we go? We still need to buy a cake."

Bruce frowned slightly looked over at the group of teenagers before settling his glare on Wally. "I thought we could try making the cake this year."

Dick burst into laughter. "Good one Bruce!" When Bruce did not respond, Dick paused and said, "You weren't serious were you? Remember last time we tried to make a cake on Father's Day? Or last year when we tried to make a pot roast? Or last time Alfred had a vacation and he left cookie dough in the oven and all we had to do was put it in the oven? The oven still exploded! We are definitely buying the cake. Or do you want to die of accidental poisoning. That is, if the cake actually makes it out of the oven in one piece this year."

Bruce tore his eyes off of Wally. "You're right as usual Chum. Let's go buy a cake."

The pair walked away leaving a very flabbergasted team behind. "What the hell just happened?" Artemis demanded. "That was Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. And your friends with them! And he has no friends?"

Wally shifted around uncomfortably. "Look. It's not really my place to say why he doesn't have friends, but the biggest part of it is that Bruce freaking Wayne took him in. He went from having zero money to being one of the richest kids in the world. So scholarship kids at his school want nothing to do with him because he has money, and the rich kids don't like that he wasn't born with privilege."

"That's so sad." M'gann said. "You didn't tell him about us?"

"What was I supposed to say? The kid knows how to tell when people are lying to him. Probably because the people who surround him are constantly lying to get in his good graces."

"What do you think of Bruce Wayne?" Kaldur asked, still staring at where the duo had disappeared together.

"To be honest, I didn't know what to think of him at first. Rich man taking in an orphan. Sounds like the plot to _Annie_. But then I saw the two of them together, and he loves Dick. He generally loves him. Guess what they say about bonding over tragedy is true." Wally shrugged slightly with a wistful but pained look on his face.

"What does that mean?" M'gann asked quietly. She got the impression that she was not going to like the answer very much.

"I wouldn't tell you this if the answer was not on Google. Bruce Wayne lost his parents when he was eight. They were shot in front of him. Dick's parents were also murdered in front of him when he was eight. That's the reason that Bruce took him in. There's more to it I'm sure, but that's the gist of it."

"What are you going to do about your friendship?" Artemis questioned softly.

"While I'm sure that Batman would encourage me to let him go, I'm going to wait for him to cool off a bit and then text him later. See if we can meet up later." Wally stared determinedly at the floor, knowing full well that he was the only one seeing the irony in Batman discouraging their friendship.

###

 **Wally: Bro**

 **Wally: Dick…?**

 **Wally: You're not actually mad at me are you?**

 **Wally: Dude. You know that it was totally your own fault**

 **Wally: You freaked me out ok!**

 **Wally: Okay. I shouldn't have said those things**

 **Wally: Dick. I'm so sorry**

 **Wally: Bro**

 **Wally: Talk to me**

 **Wally: Tell me how you're feeling**

 **Wally: Yell at me!**

 **Wally: Rant or do something**

 **Wally: Please don't toon me out**

 **Wally: Did you block my number?**

 **Wally: You totally did!**

 **Wally: I'm so sorry!**

 **Wally: I want my best friend back!**

 **Wally: You're literally the best friend in the world**

 **Wally: I don't know what I'd do without you**

 **Wally: I just sent embarrassing photos of me out to the rest of the team**

 **Wally: Am I forgiven**

 **Wally: Dude, I swear I will do whatever you want me to do**

 **Wally: I'll even swear off Alfred's cookies**

 **Wally: Dude I'll clean the Batcave every time you get in trouble**

 **Wally: Bro please**

 **Wally: Dick please**

 **Wally: Bro I love you so much**

 **Wally: Don't let this be the end of us!**

 **Wally: We can get through this!**

 **Wally: We just need to talk**

 **Wally: Please Dick, think about what you're throwing away!**

 **Dick: What the hell?!**

 **Wally: OMG! You don't completely hate me!**

 **Dick: Dude. I was celebrating Alfred's bday. I left my phone upstairs.**

 **Wally: So you were never mad at me?**

 **Dick: No**

 **Wally: So I just groveled for nothing**

 **Dick: Basically**

 **Dick: Will you still clean the Batcave though?**

 **Wally: Hell to the no**

 **Wally: No need to now that I know you're not actually mad**

 **Dick: Oh well**

 **Dick: At least I got to enjoy the embarrassing photos**

 **Wally: # $%! #$%$!**

 **Wally: What did I do!**

 **Wally: Hack their phones and delete the photos!**

 **Dick: They already saw them**

 **Wally: !#$ #%! Hack their brains!**

 **Dick: Roflmao. Dude you're screwed. Accept it**

 **Wally: You're the worst friend in the world and I hate you**

 **Dick: That's not what you said earlier**

 **Wally: I HATE YOU**

 **Dick: Goodnight Wally. I'm glad we made up**

 **Wally: Yeah whatever. Me too.**

When Bruce went to check on his son later, he found Dick fast asleep with a smile on his face and his phone clutched in his hand. Walking in, Bruce pried the cell phone from Dick's grip and placed it on his nightstand, he then proceeded to take off Dick's shoes and his jeans. Leaving him in his shirt and boxers, Bruce tucked the sleeping boy in, surprised that he had not woken up.

Giving Dick a brief kiss on the forehead, Bruce decided that he would have to call Wallace and talk to him about the appropriate way to speak to his son. There was not going to be a repeat of today if he could help it. Maybe he should give Barry an earful too, so that the older speedster would be annoyed at Wallace too. Shaking his head, he decided not to do that. Barry and Clark would find it appropriate to tease him about his overprotectiveness again. Even though he was being completely reasonable.

Maybe he could alert Iris to the situation. She would not give him a hard time, and would ride both Barry and Wallace. That sounded like a good idea. Nodding to himself, he gave one last look at Dick before exiting the room, and closing the door softly. He had some phone calls to make.

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 **A/N: So that just happened. Personally, my favorite part was the text messages. Let me know your favorite part, and what you want to see next in the review section below!**


	25. Riddle Me This

**Riddle Me This**

Robin pursed his lips. Batman was once again talking to Kaldur. Alone. He tried not to be jealous, but the fact that his mentor, no his father, didn't want him irked him. A lot. Tapping his foot impatiently, Robin decided that he would work on weaponizing the Batglare. Any minute now, a hole would appear in the wall of the cave exposing his no-good cheating mentor.

As usual, it was Wally who tried to break the tension. "So...you guys want to hear a riddle?"

There were half-hearted affirmatives from the rest of the team. Robin just continued to stare at the wall. "What has a foot but no legs?"

M'gann smiled brightly. "On Mars, there are these cute little blob animals with feet. They hop around the whole time. We keep them as pets!"

Artemis smiled gently. "M'gann, I doubt the person who came up with the riddle has been to Mars. Or that they know a martian. The answers probably something else."

Wally jumped in his seat slightly. "It's something on Earth. Should I tell you the answer?"

Robin's eye twitched at Wally's excitement. Couldn't he tell that he was concentrating on turning his normal human genes into meta genes so that he could smite Bruce! Grinding his teeth, he growled. "A snail."

Wally blinked. He had not expected Robin to answer let alone answer correctly. "Good job, Rob. Okay. Try this one on for size. Poor people have it. Rich people need it. If you eat it, you die. What is it?"

Robin heaved a sigh. Apparently this was becoming a thing. "Nothing."

Conner scowled. "What's nothing?"

"The answer. Nothing is the answer." Robin sent Wally a glare. Wally had said that one on purpose to reference him being rich without saying it out right.

Wally narrowed his eyes and demanded, "What has one eye but cannot see?"

"A needle." Robin rolled his eyes. This was definitely becoming a thing which was beyond annoying. He found himself somewhat enjoying himself when all he wanted to do was glare at the wall before giving Bruce the silent treatment. Well maybe not the silent treatment. Bruce would probably enjoy that.

"How do you make the number one disappear?"

"You add the letter 'G' and its 'Gone.'"

"What goes up but never goes down?"

"Your age."

"Mary's father has 5 daughters – Nana, Nene, Nini, Nono. What is the fifth daughters name?"

"Mary."

"What gets broken without ever being held?"

"A promise."

"What is the next letter in the sequence: JFMAMJJASON_?"

"The letter D."

Artemis held up her hands. "Wait. The other's made sense, but how the hell did you figure that one out?"

Robin's lips quirked into a small smirk. "The sequence contains the first letter of each month. So the last letter would be 'D' for December. What can I say, I know a lot of riddles, and these are easy."

Wally frowned. "Okay Hotshot. Why don't you tell us a riddle?"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What did you eat?"

The team didn't even get a chance to think about it before Robin asked, "A woman is sitting in her hotel room when there is a knock at the door. She opened the door to see a man whom she had never seen before. He said, 'Oh I'm sorry, I have made a mistake, I thought this was my room.' He then went down the corridor and in the elevator. The woman went back into her room and phoned security. What made the woman so suspicious of the man?"

Smirking Robin said, "What gets whiter the dirtier it gets?"

Robin was enjoying the stumped looks on his teammates' faces. Deciding to give them one more riddle for good measure, he said, "Pronounced as one letter, And written with three, Two letters there are, And two only in me. I'm double, I'm single, I'm black, blue, and gray, I'm read from both ends, And the same either way. What am I?"

"Corn, he knocked, chalkboard, and an eye." The words were said in a low growl from the corner of the room. Everybody but Robin jumped and whipped the heads over to look at where Batman was lurking.

Robin on the other hand groaned. Loudly. "Do you have to ruin everything?"

Only Robin could tell that Batman quirked an eyebrow at his response. "You were trying to weaponize the Batglare until a moment ago, yet you accuse me of ruining things?"

Robin tried to prevent the blush from rising to his cheeks. Growling softly he whisper-shouted, "You know I have jealousy issues! It's an only child thing!"

"Really? How do you figure that one?"

Robin smirked. Batman had just made his own bed. "I heard you tell Agent A that when Superman wanted to take me to the zoo. Remember, it was some sort of family day at his work, and he didn't have a kid to take?" Seeing the look on Conner's face, Robin backtracked. "Don't worry Supes, this was years ago, I must have been nine or something."

Deciding it best to break the tense silence, Wally asked, "So. Why are you guys so good at riddles anyways?"

Robin felt like facepalming. And judging by the twitching in Batman's gloved hand, he felt the same intense desire. Taking a deep breath, he began to explain slowly, "Dude. We fight a dude that calls himself Riddler. It's kind of a requirement to know a lot of riddles."

Batman swept out of the room and Robin followed him backwards, making the mind blown gesture and appropriate sound effects.

###

Robin stared quietly at the Batcomputer. He was doing his best to ignore Bruce, despite the man's awkward attempts at starting a conversation. There was no way that he was making this easy for him. After all, jealousy is a green eyed monster. And there is just no reasoning with monsters.

Finally, Bruce spun his chair around, so Robin had no choice but to face his mentor. Clamping his lips shut, he stared up at his father-figure defiantly. If Bruce wanted answers, he would have to pry them from his cold, dead, lips.

Bruce obviously knew that, so he started the conversation. "Just because I wanted to talk to Aqualad alone, does not mean I think any less of you as a partner."

Robin pursed his lips and spun his chair so he was focused on the computer again. If Bruce thought that that was going to magically going to cure his jealousy, then he was much less of genius than Robin had previously given him credit for.

Robin growled as his chair was forcefully turned around again. "Do you want to know what we talked about?"

Robin sniffed and turned up his nose. He knew he was acting like a child, but he was sick and tired of working hard to gain Bruce's undivided attention, when Aqualad just had to walk into the room.

Bruce took a steadying breath. It was times like these when he wondered what had possessed him to take in a chile. "He gives me mission reports Dick."

"So do I. There's no need to talk to him privately for that." Robin sniffed and turned his chair around again. There was something about the evidence for the new case they were working.

He sighed as he was once again, forcefully turned around. "You never tell me how bad an injury is. Aqualad does. I'm not there Dick. I can't watch out for you. I can't keep you safe."

Robin blinked. "You can't keep me tucked under your cape forever Bruce. We look out for each other, and if there's ever an injury that I can't walk off or fix myself, I promise you'll be the first to know."

Bruce nodded. "Thanks Chum." With that settled, he glanced at the computer screen with interest. "There's something about this case. I swear, I've seen it before."

"Me too." Robin admitted. Snapping his fingers he looked up at Bruce with large eyes. "It's a riddle! A man was found dead on a Sunday morning. His wife calls the police immediately. The police question the wife and staff. The wife said she was asleep, the cook said he was cooking breakfast, the gardener said she was picking vegetables, the butler said he was cleaning the closet, and the maid said she was getting the post. The police immediately arrested the murderer. Who was the murderer?"

Bruce stilled. "The answer is the maid. But that doesn't make sense. If Riddler was behind it, how did he create this situation?"

Robin deflated. "There's no way he could. Maybe all our talk about riddles made me look for something that wasn't there."

"Unless, Riddler teamed up with someone who could control people's minds." Bruce pondered outloud.

The Dynamic Duo looked at each other and shouted "Mad Hatter" simultaneously.

As Bruce rushed off to get dressed, Robin checked the Batmobile to make sure that all their extra supplies were loaded in the back. Then he checked the programming on his bike to make sure that if there was an emergency, the bike would drive itself back to the Batcave. Stopping at the weapon's supply cabinet, Robin loaded up on batarangs, a few exploding disks, another rebreather, a few smoke pellets, some marbles, a fine cord that could carry approximately a thousand pounds, and most importantly, the emergency snack rations.

Batman came running out of the changing room as soon as he finished loading up and together they ran to their respective vehicles. Jumping onto his bike, Robin breathed into his comm, "Let's catch some crazy enigmas."

He could barely hear Batman's snort over the loud sounds of the screeching tires and the roaring engines.

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 **A/N: The maid did it because there is no mail delivered on a Sunday.**

 **For those of you who are interested, this story is officially 75 pages long!**

 **For those of you who asked to see riddles...here you go. Let me know what you think, and what you want to see next in the review section below!**


	26. The Three Stooges (Bros part 1)

**The Three Stooges**

"Anyone see Robin and Wally today?" Artemis inquired. It was unlike them to be so quiet for so long. Normally, that meant that they were causing mayhem, but all seemed to be quiet. Which in itself was worrying.

"I have not seen them at the cave today, however, yesterday Wally mentioned something about 'bro bonding.'" Kaldur reported evenly. As long as the two boys were not causing trouble, they could do whatever they wanted. As long as their activities did not earn him Batman's ire.

As if reading their minds, the zeta tube went off announcing Robin, Wally, and surprisingly, Roy. The three teens paid the rest of the team no mind as they walked in talking animatedly.

"Dude! Remember that time Supes declared we had to have mentor mentee bonding! He made us go camping! And he insisted on coming with us even though he didn't have a partner to bring!" Robin bounced around and did a front flip. This story was one biggest mentor fails in history.

Roy smirked before innocently saying, "Hey! It was a good thing that Supes came! Ollie got super drunk within the first few hours of arriving and was useless afterwards! Not to mention that Barry ate all our food within an hour!"

"Hey! Uncle Barry didn't eat all the food! Supes was the one who decided that it would be faster to cook the hotdogs using his heat vision and not the fire. Burned the poor things to a crisp. Even I wouldn't touch them. Besides, Bats was the one who was 'allergic' to the woods."

Robin stopped bouncing. "Now that I think about it, they're really lucky we were there. Roy was able to track prey and identify plants we could eat. I was able to make some meds for B using the rare caterpillar silk I found mixed with some berries, and Wally was able to run and find the rest of the Justice League for emergency evacuation."

Roy tilted his head slightly. "It would have been way less embarrassing for them if Supes had not insisted on hiking on an unmarked path in the middle of nowhere. And if he had not insisted on no phones or communicators."

Wally nodded sagely. "This is probably why we never went camping again. Hey! We should go camping this weekend! Just the three of us! If we can fight villains we can go off in the woods alone for a night or two!"

Robin wrinkled his nose. "Dude. You said you guys would come to the party this weekend. Agent A insist that I have an adequate support system. You know how nasty the people there can get. And you know I can't skip. I skipped the last one and CPS came knocking on our door."

Wally shrugged. "You have all your credits for the year right? Let's go during the week. I'm sure B will call you in sick if you use your voodoo magic on him. Ollie will do whatever Roy says and Uncle Barry keeps saying that I need to get more exercise."

Robin shrugged. It was definitely worth a shot. And if he couldn't convince Bruce, Alfred would convince Bruce for him. Besides, he hadn't hung out with Wally and Roy in forever. It would be just like the good old days. Smirking slightly, he said, "Fine. But you'll have to be on your best behavior at the party. You know how the old hags like to gossip. Roy, you too. None of that, 'bad boy' crap. I have a reputation to uphold. Well, B does anyways.

Wally nodded excitedly. "This is going to be so awesome! No mentors, just three bros alone in the woods. What could possibly go wrong!"

Roy's eye twitched slightly before he reached out and smacked Wally on the back of the head. "Way to go Kid Mouth. Now something's bound to go wrong."

Robin clapped his hands together. "So. We going to go to Wally's Science thing or what?"

"It's a science fair, Boy Genius, and Bruce Wayne is a judge, so you'll probably want to go. For security reasons. And Roy, I hear there will be a ton of desperate women there for Bruce. I'm sure that you'll be able to snag one."

The three of them nodded to themselves before they burst out laughing and walked back to the zeta tubes. Artemis looked at the rest of the team in confusion. "Does anyone know what the hell just happened? They walked in here, talked a bit and walked out. Didn't even notice us!"

Kaldur ran a hand over the top of his head. "They are the first three partners Artemis. My King has told me about the special bond they share and how that he hoped that I would one day be a part of that bond. It is my understanding that Wally and Roy are the only two outside of the original members of the Justice League that know both Robin and Batman's secret identities."

Artemis' eyes widened. "You're telling me that Kid Mouth knows the most well kept secret in the Justice League and he has yet to accidently spill the secret?"

Kaldur scanned the shocked faces of his teammates. He supposed that it would be news to anyone that Wally could keep a secret. That he could keep multiple secrets. Kaldur had his suspicions of why the boy lived with his uncle, but he would never say them outloud. "I suppose that we are not always who we project ourselves to be. We all have secrets, some of which are darker than others."

###

Dick slid into his place next to Bruce at the Science Fair. He tactfully ignored Bruce's questioning gaze and scanned the crowd of nerds for his best friend. He spotted Roy right away, flirting with a group of girls. Wally was harder to spot, but eventually Dick was able to spot him by the vending machine getting a last minute snack.

Dick returned his attention to his mentor. Time to use his so called 'voodoo magic' on Bruce. "Hey Dad? Wally wanted to know if I can go with him and Roy on a camping trip."

Bruce knew that Dick was going to ask for something that he was not going to like the second he said 'dad.' The kid had learned how to get his way. "Chum, you know how I feel about nature."

"Dad. This trip is strictly for people under the age of twenty. Sorry to say, but you're just over the age limit."

Bruce chuckled. "Calling me young is not going to help your case Kiddo. When's this trip?"

Dick shifted around nervously. There was no way that Bruce was going to be easy to convince after learning their planned departure day. "Well...we were thinking on leaving Monday."

Bruce stilled and turned his eagle-like gaze on Dick. "Excuse me?"

Dick gazed down at his hands before glancing up at Bruce. "I've finished my classes for the year, so you can just call me in sick! And during the week it's less likely I'll be swarmed by the paparazzi! Please Dad!"

Bruce winced as Dick gazed up at him with puppy eyes. He had often wondered if the boy had an unknown meta gene that gave him the power of suggestion. If anyone else were to ask him for half of the things that Dick did, Bruce would unleash the full force of the batglare on them. Under Dick's puppy eyes however, Bruce always found his will crumpling. "Kiddo, you know how bad the press will be if they find out that I called you in sick and you were off in the woods?"

Dick pouted. "Blame it on Ollie then. Tell the press a sob story how you entrusted him with your son's safety and he let us go traipsing through the woods."

Bruce rubbed his temples wearily. "Fine. But don't you dare get caught. And tell Wallace that he owes me one. And that I will collect on it."

Dick jumped up and pumped his fist. Quickly giving Bruce a hug, he dashed off the join his two friends where they were standing by the water fountain. "Bruce said yes!"

Wally jumped up with a loud "Yes!" which led to the surrounding people to stare at them.

Roy on the other hand, narrowed his eyes. "What were the conditions?"

Dick grinned widely before casually saying, "Ollie takes the blame publically if anything goes wrong and Wally owes him one. Oh. Wally, he wanted me to tell you that he intends to collect."

Wally paled substantially. "What? Why did you agree to that?"

Roy shrugged. "Deal sounds good to me. Maybe we should get in trouble. I'd love to see Ollie explain that at a press conference."

Wally waved his arms around wildly. "More importantly, what is Bats going to make me do?"

Dick shrugged before grabbing Roy's wrist. "Dude, I heard that someone made rock candy in the shape of snowflakes and they're handing them out for free."

Wally watched as his two best friends ditched him in his moment of crisis. He was a superhero, one of the first partners, yet he had never been more afraid in his life. He knew that Roy would feel just as much panic if the roles were reversed. He honestly had no idea how Dick could be so nonchalant around Bruce. The man was scary. Granted, Dick seemed to bring out a softer side of him. Nevertheless, he was downright terrified of whatever the man had planned for him.

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 **A/N: Hey! Sorry for the long wait, but personally I like this chapter, so I hope it was worth the wait! Let me know what you think, and please leave prompt ideas! Happy reading!**


	27. Press Conference (Bros Part 2)

**Press Conference**

Robin was sitting with his team on the couch channel surfing. There was nothing of interest on TV. Pausing momentarily on a celebrity watch channel, he yawned and stretched. This proved to be a mistake as a story came on about Richard Grayson's latest stunt.

Robin froze momentarily before fumbling with the remote, trying desperately to change the channel. Wally was making urgent hands signals for him to hurry up, but before he could change the channel, the remote was plucked out of his hands by Artemis. Robin could only watch with growing horror as the news anchor started to report the story.

"Last Wednesday, we were all shocked when footage was leaked of Richard Grayson, Roy Harper and an unidentified friend were seen hotwiring a truck from a ranger's station during their impromptu camping trip and driving it away. Even more shocking, there were multiple bears chasing the trio. What's more, it was not eighteen year old Harper who was driving the car, but rather thirteen year old Grayson. And drive he did. As you can see in the footage, Grayson performed evasive maneuvers and did not crash the truck once. It would appear as if it was not Grayson's first time behind the wheel.

"Once again Bruce Wayne's and Oliver Queen's parenting capabilities were called into question. Surprisingly, Queen decided to do a press conference. Normally he would release a statement through a legal representative, but appears that the millionaire wants to take responsibility for this event. There has been no word from Bruce Wayne yet. We're now cutting to a live feed from the press conference."

Robin and Wally shared a horrified look as the TV screen switched to an image of Oliver Queen standing in front of a podium. "Many of you are wondering what happened this week and why the boys were out camping during the week. As most of you know, Roy has already graduated and is a legal adult. Richard, is a certified genius and already finished his coursework for this year. As for the third individual, I'd like to keep his identity secret as he does not want to be hounded by the press for being friends with both Richard and Roy. The boys stumbled across a bear cave on their hike, and using the ability that most teenage boys seem to have, they annoyed the hell out of those bears.

"They were then chased to the Ranger's truck were Richard picked the locks and hotwired it. How he acquired these skills is simple. He grew up at the circus and was trained to pick locks by escape artists. As for hotwiring the car, he is a genius that has some interest in mechanics. He simply looked it up at an earlier time. How he learned how to drive is a bit trickier of a question. Like Roy, he has been training on a driving simulator. Why he didn't let Roy drive is a question for him, but my guess is that it has to do with the bears chasing them.

"I know that there should have been more supervision with them, but these boys live their whole lives under the scrutiny of the press and being chased by the paparazzi. They thought that they would be safe in the middle of nowhere, and I was inclined to agree.

"Most parents out there will argue that they are too young to be left to their own devices, but the thing is, these boys are older and more mature than most people their age. Richard grew up the second his parents were murdered in front of him at the age of eight. Roy similarly grew up long before I took him in. As for the third individual, he too had to grow up long before he should have. When you look into their eyes, past all the pretenses of happiness, you will see a brokenness and a maturity that I hope to all things holy you will never see in the eyes of your own children and in the people who you love.

"So yes, the boys hotwired a truck to get away from the bears. And yes, Richard drove way better than any other thirteen year old that I know. But give them a break. And for the love of God, get a life. If it was any other group of kids, there's no way in hell it would make headline news on every major news outlet."

With that, Ollie walked off the podium leaving gobsmacked reporters behind. The reporters were silent for about five seconds before they started yelling questions, but Ollie kept walking lifting one hand up in a simple wave.

The news anchor came back on the screen, her mouth slightly open in shock. Shaking her head slightly, she turned to fully face the camera. "We have yet to hear an official statement from Bruce Wayne on the incident. Wait, this just in. Bruce Wayne has released an official statement on the involvement of his adopted son. He says, and I quote, 'Get a life. If what I say and do, or what Dick says and does is the most exciting part of your day, change that. Do something interesting and change the world. Just leave us alone in the process.'

"Well Bruce Wayne, that is amazing advice. I think I'm going to volunteer this weekend, just don't fault me for being interested in your lives. The lives of the rich and famous are just so much more interesting than that of us mere mortals. That's it for today folks. Catch us tomorrow for more breaking news on celebrities. Ciao."

Robin shared another horrified look with Wally. There was no way that he wanted to discuss this with the team. He did not get much of a choice though because Artemis started talking. "Do you guys believe a word of Oliver Queen said? There's way more to that story than what he shared. And why didn't Bruce Wayne comment? They're totally hiding something."

Wally stammered, "Well maybe there's more to the story. Like the bears were actually bears being controlled by Gorilla Grodd and were shooting at them with semiautomatic weapons, just because the three boys stumbled upon Gorilla Grodd making plans to attack a major city when they were hiking."

Everyone was silent for a moment before the team burst out laughing. Wally and Robin joined in awkwardly sharing a look. That was what had really happened, was it really that absurd? Artemis wiped a tear from her eye. "Good one West. They probably just walked into the bear's cave a poked it."

M'gann sighed. "Why would they do that? Is there not an expression that tells you not to poke the angry bear?"

While the team started to debate the idiocy of teenage boys, Robin sent the distress code to Batman for an emergency exfil for him and Wally. They needed to get out of there before one of the team members recognized Wally in the footage, or remembered that Wally was friends with Richard Grayson. Or they remembered that Robin and Richard Grayson knew each other. Or that Robin probably knew the truth to what happened because he was Batman's partner and therefore a good detective. Really there were an infinite number of reasons to leave right away.

As if on queue, Batman's voice filtered through the speaker's in the cave. "Robin, Wallace. You are both needed for a joint operation in Gotham. Grab your gear, Roy will meet us at the docks."

Robin and Wally shared a look, saluted the team, and raced off to the zeta beams. They had just been handed a gift, and they were not going to waste it. Besides, if the was even the smallest chance that Batman was not lying and Roy was going to Gotham, they had to take advantage of it. It was not often that the three musketeers got to work together, and even rarer that they got to work together in Gotham. Only time would tell, and both boys could hardly wait.

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 **A/N: So everyone really wanted to see something go wrong and Ollie have to explain it, so here it is! I think the next chapter will be Bruce cashing in that favor that Wally owes him. Let me know if you think of anything for that. I'm trying to think of something especially sadistic, but I really can't think of anything. Maybe requiring Wally to wear a pink costume that says _Robin's faithful servant_?**

 _ **Britt30**_ **of course you can use this as inspiration for your story! Please PM me when its done, I'd love to read it!**

 **Please review!**


	28. Into the Woods (Bros part 2:5)

**Into the Woods**

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 **A/N: This will make more sense if you've read the previous chapter!**

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Dick smiled and stretched as he exited the tent. Birds were chirping and the sun was just beginning to rise over the mountains as Dick started a small fire and began to make coffee. It was Wednesday, and the trio had set off into the woods on Monday. They had hiked around ten miles to the campsite, which meant that they had to monitor Wally's food intake as there was no nearby store.

Dick grinned as both Roy and Wally joined him around the fire. He had no idea why Bruce hated nature so much. Sure, there were some mosquitos and no luxuries that they were used to, but it reminded Dick of his circus days. His parents used to take him camping because it was a cheap vacation. Really, the only vacation that they could afford.

So far, they had swam in a nearby lake, tracked wild animals, climbed a few trees, raced in a predetermined obstacle course, and cooked. Dick felt free and safe. He was beginning to think that Bruce was crazy for thinking that this trip would end in any way that wasn't positive. What was the worst thing that could happen?

Dick's attention returned to his friends when Wally broke the silence. "What should we do today? Should we see who can climb the tree the highest. I'm pretty sure that I can beat Dick."

Roy snorted loudly. "You really think you can beat the circus freak. He could beat a monkey. You got no chance Kid Idiot. Why don't we go on a hike today? Explore a bit. We could probably find a place to go rock climbing."

Dick laughed as Wally pouted and nodded his head in affirmative. It would be a good day. He could feel it.

###

Dick decided that the person who had declared hiking a 'fun recreational activity' needed to relook at the definition of fun. Rock climbing was fun. Racing was fun. Swimming was fun. But hiking for hours without discovering anything cool was not fun. Wally had decided to veer into the forest on an unmarked trail, and Dick was beginning to think that there was a reason that it was unmarked. It was not intended to be a trail.

If he was being honest with himself, he would admit that he was beginning to realize why Bruce didn't like the woods. They were creepy. And dark. And the setting of a horror movie. But as a proud member of the Bat Clan, he showed no fear.

Dick grinned as Roy pointed to a clearing ahead. Simultaneously, all three boys raced to the clearing. Bursting through the foliage, Dick's smile melted off of his face as he realized what they had just interrupted. In front of them stood Gorilla Grodd, and an angry army of wild animals. Most frightening, was the group of eight grizzly bears holding semiautomatic weapons.

Roy was the one who burst them out of their fear induced state by yelling "run!"

This of course made Gorilla Grodd yell, "Kill them!"

Dick blamed Wally for this. The boy had the worst luck of anyone he knew. And he knew The Riddler. So it was totally and completely Wally's fault that he was now running through the forest, with his two best friends, being chased by bears with weapons, and most likely going to die. It's not like they could outrun the bears. And climbing a tree would make them easier to shoot.

When Dick felt like he couldn't run anymore, they reached a clearing. To his immense relief, this clearing did not harbor someone wanting to kill them, but rather a lone truck that said _Park Ranger_ on the side. "Cover me!" Dick yelled as he ran to the truck. If he could pick the lock, then they could hotwire the car and drive away safely. In theory. The only problem was picking the lock without getting shot.

Luck for him, Roy got the idea. Picking up a rock, he threw it at the bear that appeared to be in charge. The bear roared angrily and grunted to his comrades. They began to fan out and encircle Roy. Wally took this as his queue to throw and rock at them and begin taunting them. "Hey, if I met your Mom, I wouldn't even know she's your mom because she's so…"

Lucky for Wally and his dignity, Dick managed to pop the lock at that moment and yelled, "Get in!" before he could finish his insult. In the moment that it took Dick to hotwire the truck, both of his friends dove into the backseat. Dick floored the accelerator before the door was even closed.

Unfortunately, the bears still had the guns, so Dick was forced to execute evasive maneuvers on a dirt road so that they didn't get shot, or if the bears were smart, they didn't blow up the gas tank. There was also the problem of needing to contact help. "Why did you tell us to leave our cell phones at home Roy! Bruce was obviously right! Bad things happen when you're out in nature!" Dick wasn't sure whether Wally moaned or shrieked his complaint. Could people moan and shriek at the same time?

Roy responded before Dick had the chance to voice his question. "I didn't want us to be on our phones the whole time! The point of coming out here was bro-bonding and getting away from our oppressive mentors!"

Oh no he didn't. "Hey! You might think Ollie is oppressive and constantly fight with him, but me and Bruce are good. We're better than good, we're great! Don't project your relationship issues onto us!"

"Not the point, Dick!" Both Roy and Wally yelled. Sheesh. A guy can't get a break between the two of them.

"Search the truck. Maybe the Ranger left his phone in here!" Roy yelled.

Both Wally and Roy started searching frantically while Dick drove. Wait. They were looking for a phone. "Guys. My phone is in my back pocket."

"What! You brought your phone with you!" Wally shrieked. That was definitely a shriek this time. Right in the ear too.

Dick didn't see the big deal. "Well yeah. I have a hundred and twelve day streak with Barbara on Snapchat. There's no way I was going to break that."

Roy face palmed. For geniuses, they were both idiots sometimes. "Give me the phone! We need to call for help! Still being chased by killer bears, remember? Not to mention whatever Grodd is up to!"

"I can't get it, I'm driving! Bruce says I'm supposed to keep both hands on the wheel during a car chase. Especially if there's guns involved. Unless I'm shifting gears that is." Dick recited dutifully. He was totally going to earn the _Car Chase_ Bat Merit Badge.

Roy clenched his jaw tightly before grinding out, "He's not here. He won't know."

Dick glanced at Roy in the rearview mirror. "Have you learned nothing? He always knows! Sometimes, he just makes you think that he doesn't know, but I know that he knows! He's just trying to mess with my head!"

Seeing that he was not going to win anytime soon, Roy leaned over the seat and started rooting around Dick's back pocket. "Stop feeling me up! It's in the other pocket! Ow! Roy! Bruce says people aren't supposed to touch me there unless I love them!"

Finally, Roy sat back into his seat with the phone, only to realize that not only was it password protected, it also required a fingerprint and a retinal scan. "Dick. How do I open your phone?"

Dick reached his arm back and Roy hesitantly placed the phone in his hand. To his surprise, Dick expertly typed his password in with one hand, scanned his thumbprint, and did a retinal scan before tossing the phone back to him. "Seriously? You can't get your phone out of your pocket, but you can do all of that?"

Roy started dialing Ollie's number as Dick yelled back, "Don't question me! You don't see me questioning you every time you pick a fight with Ollie! You called me yelling about how he put the wrong kind of cheese on your burger. Seriously. If I didn't know better I'd think you were pregnant. Wait. Are you?"

Of course, Ollie picked up in time to hear the last line. "You're pregnant! That explains so much! Why didn't you tell me Roy? I would've supported you!"

Roy suddenly knew why Batman always looked so pained when he was with the rest of the Justice League. They were all idiots. "I'm a man, Ollie! I'm not pregnant! What I am, is pissed! You know why Ollie? Because I'm being chased by bears with semiautomatic weapons! And Gorilla Grodd is still in the forest with an army of animals ready to force humanity into extinction! And Dick had to hotwire a truck and perform evasive maneuvers so that we wouldn't be killed!"

Roy could hear Ollie curse loudly over the phone before he groaned. "I'll call Bats and the Flash. We'll deal with it. Man Bats is gonna kill me. And knowing Wally's luck, someone got you stealing a truck on camera. How am I gonna explain that to the press?"

Roy took several deep breathes. "Don't really care right now Ollie. To busy trying not to be killed. Remember?"

"Yeah yeah. I'm coming." With that Ollie hung up. Roy felt the insane need to rub his temples and frown like a disapproving father. What was Ollie turning him into?

"They're coming. Ollie said that he would alert Bruce and Barry of the situation."

"Gee, I hope they come soon. I don't think the arrow that indicates how much gas we have can get any lower." Dick noted flippantly.

"What!" Wally shrieked. Again, he shrieked right in Dick's ear. The guy needed to learn to shriek away from the driver. He had almost hit a tree that time.

Dick shrugged casually. "The Ranger was probably getting gas for the truck when we 'borrowed' it. And the evasive maneuvers are not doing anything for the milage."

Roy took a deep breathe. "Why are you so calm right now Dick? Have anything you'd like to share with the class?"

Dick pondered that for a moment. Anything he wanted to share with Roy and Wally that he hadn't already? "Well, Babs started dating this new guy, and I swear she thinks that he might be Robin. I mean, hello? I'm Robin. And this guy is such a tool. I think he might even be cheating on her."

Wally nodded understandingly. "That sucks man. You really like her, don't you. I mean you do have a thing for redheads. Just look at your two best friends! And you used to go out with Kori!"

Roy found himself nodding along with what Wally was saying. Realizing how off topic he was, he shook his head and shouted, "I meant about our current situation!"

Dick pouted slightly. "Oh. That. Well there is one tinsy little thing."

Roy sighed. "What now?"

The truck's engine gave a small shuttering puff before it groaned and the truck rolled to a stop. "We are officially out of gas."

Roy would've face palmed if he didn't see the bears emerging from the forest, looking beyond mad. He wasn't sure how exactly bears could make that facial expression, but they did. And it did not bode well for the three of them.

Roy turned to his friends to give them his final goodbyes. He expected to see tears in their eyes as they the greatest bromance in history died thanks to an angry gorilla giving orders to some angrier bears. But instead, he found them both humming. A song that seemed very familiar. The song that Robin had made one time when they drank punch at Ollie's party and got drunk. "Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da Batman!"

As if on queue, the Batwing broke through the clouds and both Green Arrow and Batman jumped out. They rushed into battle, disarming and knocking out the bears. Out of the woods, The Flash appeared, carrying a tied up and angry looking Gorilla Grodd.

The three boys walked up to their mentors grinning. "Thanks for saving us, Sirs." Dick recited dutifully. Alfred would be so proud.

Wally nodded. "Yeah. You guys totally saved our butts. Think I could learn how to fight like that?"

Roy scoffed. "No way you'll ever fight like that, Pipsqueak." Turning to Green Arrow he said, "Thanks or whatever for saving us."

The three heros nodded dutifully. Batman stepped forward and reached an gloved hand out to Dick. "We'll take you all home. I'm sure your parents will be very interested in what happened. Arrow? Get your own ride home."

With that, Batman dragged Dick towards the Batwing. Dick stumbled after him while waving goodbye to his friends. In all likelihood, he would not be seeing them again for a long time.

When they were safely secured in the Batwing and about three miles away from where Batman had saved the day, Bruce pulled off the cowl. "I guess you earned the _Car Chase_ Merit Badge. What do you want to try for next? _Underwater Escape_ or _Desert Survival_?"

Dick shrugged. He knew that Bruce was forcing himself to act casual, so he figured that he should try and butter him up a little. "I don't know Dad. Maybe we can look at some old cold cases and see where that takes us."

Bruce laughed softly. "Sounds good Chum. By the way, you're so grounded."

Dick's heart sank. He knew it was coming. "May I ask what I'm being charged with?"

Bruce shook his head at his son's antics. "Singing the banned theme song. You know how much I hate it."

Bruce didn't quite catch what Dick muttered, but he swore it had something to do with bat-like hearing and omniscience.

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 **A/N: So this was supposed to be super short, and it ended up not being short? Pretty sure that's a good thing. I hope that this made you laugh as much as it made me laugh writing it. Please review and tell me what sadistic thing Bruce will do to Wally. Remember, Wally owes Bruce!**


	29. Dish Best Served Cold (Bros 3)

**Dish Best Served Cold**

Dick was pissed. Actually pissed was too mild. He was so angry, all he could see was red. He was going to punch Wally in his stupid face. No. That was too nice. He was going to tell Bruce, so Bruce could punch Wally in his stupid face. Bruce could put enough force in a punch to rival Superman, so Wally's stupid face would no longer look like a face.

Storming up the stairs, Dick exited the gym and made his way to Bruce's office. He didn't even stop to talk with Alfred, who was heading in the opposite direction. Bursting into Bruce's office, Dick stomped up to his desk until he was directly in front of his mentor. When Bruce failed to look up at him, Dick slammed his hand down on the file that Bruce was in the process of reading.

Bruce looked up with a scowl on his face and clearly ready to reprimand Dick for his behavior. However, the second he caught a glimpse of Dick's face, his expression softened and he got up and walked over to his son, wrapping him in his strong arms. "Do you want to talk about it Chum?"

Bruce felt Dick nod against his chest before hearing the muffled tones of his voice. "Kill Wally's stupid face."

Bruce had no idea what that was supposed to mean. "I know you have this theory about me being a mind reader, but I'm telling you, I'm not. I need more to go on than just Wally's face."

Dick shuffled back and readjusted himself so that he was still firmly tucked into Bruce's side, but could see his face. "I was mad. It was Wally's turn to check the repelling cords and parachute cords for any wear and tear. He hasn't been doing it long, so I offered to double check his work. I kept finding small microtears and pointing them out to him. He got so fed up that he yelled that it wasn't like our lives depended on the ropes working. I told him that lives did depend on ropes, and he yelled that if I had been even half as obsessive when I was a kid, my parents would still be alive."

Bruce felt his mind go blank and his heart start pounding in his ears. If there was one thing that you never said to an orphan who had witnessed the murder of their parents, it was that they could have done something to prevent it. He was going to kill Wallace. Slowly. And painfully. Or perhaps he would make Wallace wish that he had simply killed him.

###

Wally was feeling annoyed. Why was Dick so angry at him? He had been so anal about the stupid ropes. It's not like they would die if they snapped. They had superpowered friends to catch them! There was only one person who he could ask for advice. Taking out his cell phone, he dialed Roy's phone number.

Roy answered right before the answering machine picked up. "What do you want Kid? Kinda in the middle of something."

Wally could hear giggling in the background. Roy was definitely busy. "Well you see, Rob and I are fighting. The dude wouldn't give me a break! So I snapped at him. I mean what's his problem?"

Roy sighed. "Give me the cliff notes Wally. Fast."

Wally grunted. Seriously, Roy couldn't tell that it was totally Dick's fault from that sentence alone? "It was my turn to check the lines, and apparently, I did not live up to the Prince's expectations. I told him that it wasn't like we'd die if I made a mistake."

Wally could hear shuffling in the background and the sounds of an angry girl leaving the apartment. "You owe me so big. She's never gonna come back."

Wally rolled his eyes. Why was it always about sex with Roy? "You didn't have to get rid of her."

"Oh I did. I could not explain how big of an idiot you are with her here. Dude. You seriously forgot how his parents died? Of course he's anal about the ropes being in tip top condition!"

Wally's heart sank. "Oh man! I completely forgot! How am I gonna make that up to him?"

Roy's tone turned positively gleeful. "I wouldn't worry about making it up to Rob. I would worry more about what Daddy Dearest is gonna do to you. By now, Rob's spilled his guts about your fight and Daddy's on a warpath for your head. Watch your back."

Wally paled. "Any chance you'll help watch it?"

Roy burst out laughing. "Man that was a good one. No way am I risking irritating the man. He's out for your blood. Hey. Can I have your laptop when you die? I spilled coffee on mine and Ollie said that he's not getting me a new one till next month."

Wally made a small squeaking noise and hung up the phone. Roy's rambunctious laughter was not helping him, despite what the other redhead would claim. Wally was not sure what he was supposed to do. Nobody in their right minds would help protect him. And waiting around for his demise did not seem pleasant either. He could try and beg for Dick's forgiveness, but Daddybats most likely wouldn't care. Swallowing, he decided to remain at Mt. Justice. He would be most protected there. That, and Batman would be noticed by someone. Hopefully.

###

Wally walked up to the fridge. It had been three hours since Dick had stormed out, and he had yet to see signs of the Bat Clan. That made him more nervous than anything else. And when he was nervous, he ate.

Opening the fridge, Wally discovered a batarang holding a note. Hesitantly, he pulled down the note and read it.

 **I'm watching you Wallace.**

The note was signed with a small and simple sketch of a bat. Wally dropped the note in panic. Bats had been here! And nobody had noticed! More importantly, the security system had not announced him, which meant that they were only aware of Batman's presence when he wanted them to be. And that was a scary thought.

###

Wally was a mess. Everywhere he went he found signs of Batman's presence. Batarangs, notes, and the feeling of being watched followed him around. Having enough, Wally headed to his room. His room that only entered when he entered a drop of his blood. There was no way that Batman managed to get inside his room.

Sighing, Wally closed the door behind him and turned on the lights. He was finally safe. Opening his eyes, he screamed. In front of him stood a doll that looked realistically like him. The doll was stabbed in the heart with a batarang. Blood was everywhere. On the doll, the floor, and the door. On the wall written in blood was "Your next Wallace."

Wally stumbled out into the hallway not bothering to close the door. Hyperventilating, he slid down into a seated position on the floor and clutched his head in his hands. Moments later, the rest of the team burst into the hallway with their weapons drawn. Wally simply pointed to his room, and they entered his room. When they exited, their faces were pale and serious.

Artemis slid down the wall so that she was seated next to him. "Wally, do you have any idea who could've done this? Even I don't dislike you enough to do this. And the breach of security is a serious problem. We need to alert Batman and the League."

Wally barely heard her. "I didn't mean to. I was angry and I didn't think. And now he's getting his revenge. Roy said that I was gonna die. I thought he was overreacting, but now I know it's true. I'm going to die because of a stupid mistake. Oh God."

The team exchanged glances. What the hell was going on? And more importantly, who did Wally piss off? And what could he have done to warrant this kind of reaction? Kaldur was the one to voice these thoughts.

Wally looked at them with wide, frightened eyes. "I made Robin upset. Very very upset. I crossed the line big time. Picked at the one fear I know he has without even thinking about it. Made him relive something that nobody should live through once, let alone the amount of times he has relived it in his head."

M'gann cocked her head slightly. "So Robin did this? We should tell Batman. I'm sure he can talk to him."

Wally shook his head. "No, Robin didn't do this. It's so much worse than that. If there's one consistency in Rob's life, it's that he always tells one person what's upsetting him."

Artemis was the only one who connected the dots. Her face paled dramatically and she gasped. "You're not saying?"

Wally nodded morosely. "Batman's going to kill me."

###

Wally walked into the Batcave feeling like an antelope walking up to a lion and saying, "Please eat me."

Walking deeper into the cave, Wally searched for Batman. The man had to be here somewhere. Maybe if he was lucky, Batman had busted Joker's head in and therefore gotten rid of some of his aggression.

"Wallace." Wally jumped and turned around to find Bruce Wayne leaning against the cave wall in a pair of sweatpants.

Wally gulped nervously. This is where the dismembering happened in horror movies. "Hi Mr. Wayne, uh Sir. I'm here to, uh, apologize to, um, Dick, uh Sir."

Bruce's eyes flashed dangerously. "Are you nervous Wallace? Do I scare you?"

Wally gulped and took a step back. "Yes Sir. On both accounts."

Bruce grinned maliciously. "Good. Now Wallace. I assume that you wish to be considered on my good side again?"

"Yes Sir." Wally nodded enthusiastically. Maybe he wouldn't end up like whoever's blood was used on his wall.

"You will be taking over Robin's chores for the month. That means cleaning the Batcave, the Batmobiles, the Batwings, everything. Not to mention all my civilian cars. You will do anything that Alfred asks of you. And you will be Dick's faithful servant."

Wally shifted nervously. "That sounds like a lot Sir. How will I have the time to do that and heroing?"

"It's a good thing your fast than isn't it. As I understand from your uncle, school just got out for you, so I'm calling in that favor you owe me."

Wally decided internally that his favorite uncle was now dead to him. How could he give Batman of all people that information! Then again, Batman had a way of making people talk. What if Batman had hurt his Uncle! Maybe he should forgive his uncle, who knows what kind of psychological trauma he had suffered at Batman's hand.

His thoughts still racing, Wally stuttered out, "How can I be of service to you Sir?"

Bruce smiled slightly, which made Wally shiver in fear. "Funny you should say that Wallace. You see, I recently fired my errand boy at Wayne Corp, and I need a new one. As you're on Summer Break, I figured that you would need something to fill your time. I'll even pay you."

Wally felt his heart stutter to a stop. Working for Bruce, all summer? He was going to die. "Do I have a choice Sir?"

Bruce's smile fell off his face. "No."

Wally gave a weak smile. "May I ask why you fired the other errand boy?"

"He disappointed me Wallace. But you won't disappoint me will you?"

Bruce's scowl drove deep into Wally's soul. "No Sir. May I go and apologize to Dick now?"

"Are you calling my son names now, Wallace?"

"I meant Richard. Please Don't kill me!"

"Go. Before I change my mind."

Bruce watched as Wally ran to the stairs and disappeared within a second. He allowed the laughter that he had been suppressing to burst free from his lips. Really. That kid made it far too easy to mess with him. Jake, his errand boy, had been promoted, not fired. And Barry had not told him about Summer Break, Dick had. Yet those two small lies had tortured the poor boy. The kid thought that he was going to kill him. Seriously. He had a no kill rule. The worse he would do was maim him.

###

Wally's heart slowed as he realized that Batman was not pursuing him. Knocking softly on Dick's door, he let himself in expecting to find the boy a crying mess. Instead, he found Dick eating a bowl of ice cream while watching one of the _Taken_ movies.

Dick spotted him and gestured to sit next to him. "You'd think by number four, he would have locked her away. Or at least be a better detective. Half of his 'clues' make no sense!"

"So you're not mad?" Wally's brain could not handle the fact that Dick was not yelling and throwing things at him. Or the fact that he was still alive.

Dick shrugged casually before pausing the movie. "Oh I was. Bruce told me that he'd take care of it though. I was still really angry, but then Roy called. Told me that you were an idiot who needs to learn when to shut up. And that it took awhile, but you had realized your mistake. Then we laughed about the fact that you were probably trying to hide from Bruce. What did he do to you anyways?"

"Wait. Roy called? He told me I was on my own. Yelled at me for ruining his chances with this chick."

"Bros before hoes, dude. You know the rule. Besides. Roy wasn't getting in the way of Daddybats, but he would help smooth things over between the two of us. Who else is he going to complain about Ollie to? He can't have his two best buds fighting. Now seriously, what did Bruce do to you? You looked seriously freaked when you walked in."

Wally mentally thanked Roy. He was going to have to buy him a fruit basket. Or maybe one of those edible arrangements. They were like flowers, only with food instead! So much cooler. "Bruce. Uh, he left batarangs and notes that freaked me out. And I could feel his glare following me around. And then, in my room, was a very realistic looking doll of me with a batarang in my heart. And there was blood everywhere, and on the wall, written in blood was 'You're next Wallace.' Scared the crap out of me. All of that blood everywhere. What did he do to his previous victim to get that much blood?"

Dick cocked his head slightly. "What do you mean, previous victim?"

Wally shuddered. "It looked like real blood dude. Not dye."

Dick burst out laughing. "So that's what he wanted it for! Dude, that's my extracurricular project. Bruce wanted me to make the most realistic blood possible. Spent weeks messing with the formula until I came up with the perfect batch. Bruce asked me to make a lot but wouldn't tell em what for. Said it would be a surprise."

"So it's not real blood?"

"No! It's eight ounces of water, sixteen ounces of powdered sugar, one ounce red food coloring, and one tablespoon cocoa powder, all blended together. Of course, I made about ten times that amount, but that's a technicality."

Pure relief allowed Wally's shoulders to relax for the first time since he had talked to Roy. "Okay. So I'm not going to die. Or at least I won't die until I'm Bruce's errand boy."

Dick shrugged. "Dude. Totally not my problem. You're the one who agreed to owe him one. Besides, errand boy isn't that bad. You just buy him coffee and run files from one floor to another for him. And he pays really well. If I were you, I'd be more worried about cleaning the all the stuff in the Batcave. Oh, and his personal cars. Those cars are worth more than you are, so I really hope you don't scratch one by mistake. Then you'll see what Bruce is like when he's actually angry."

Wally shuddered. "Wait. I thought that today was him being angry?"

Dick smirked. His face adopted the same look that Bruce's did when they were talking in the cave and the deja vu made Wally's heart rate speed up. "Dude. He was just messing with you today. Wanted to freak you out. Believe me, this is not Bruce even close to angry. He was a six out of ten today, so stop being such a baby."

Wally decided that if it wasn't already official than it was today. Dick was a Bat. And Bats were insane. Everyone knew that. And if they didn't, they didn't really know them. Bats were crazy, and Wally might be a little too, because he actually enjoyed their presence. That is, when he wasn't scared completely out of his mind.

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 **A/N: So I looked up how to make fake blood online...hopefully it looks realistic. What do you think? Was Bruce sadistic enough for you? I really couldn't see Bruce using that favor without Wally being scared out of his wits first so I made a situation where Bruce went Daddybats on Wall's a**. Thank you to _Mikekit_ for the whole notes and signing in blood thing. Its actually how I got the inspiration for this chapter. **

**A note to all the people hoping me to update soon:** **Guys, I'm super, super, super busy right now. I have graduation, and a lot of 'senior activities' to do before that, so I don't have much time to write right now. For example, this chapter was mostly written four days ago, but I didn't have time to post it. Same goes for my other stories, so please be patient. It would really help me, if you guys sent in prompt ideas for the next chapter and continued to review this story. All the reviews not only give me inspiration, they also give me motivation to write when I'm exhausted. Just so you know, this is what I have as my 'official' prompt list. Keep in mind that I may write something that's not on the list. And if you suggested something that's not there, I probably wrote it down somewhere and forgot to add it to the list, so please remind me. I tend to be pretty forgetful, which drives my family crazy (not that they'd ever say anything), so please don't think that it was personal, or that I didn't like the idea. Some of the ideas are older than others, and that's because I write whatever comes to mind easiest. I don't want to force a story because those don't tend to turn out well.**

 **Point being, here's what I have:**

Oneshots revolving around Robin (Dick Grayson)

Story about how robin met the league (find video evidence)

April Fools Day (death day anniversary)

Contingency plans

Good with kids

Wally Dick bromance Princess0Bunny

Adoption process (sequel to ch. 15) Mikekit

Guarding Dick/Bruce Sophia the Scribe

Alternate Dimension (JL) BaeKat101

Joker/Fear gas Doggylove613

Club (Robin gets them in)

 **Thank you people who actually read my rambling author's note and to those of you who are about to push the review button. It means a lot to me. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	30. The Ties That Bind Us

**The Ties That Bind Us**

Robin checked the security feeds of the Wayne Corp building they were currently infiltrating. Batman had assigned the team to resolve a hostage situation in the Star City Wayne Corp branch. Of course, Roy being Roy, insisted on coming when he learned that they were in his city.

Robin did not believe that Roy's appearance helped the team dynamic. Aqualad was supposed to be team leader, but due to the fact that they were in a Wayne building, Robin found himself giving orders instead of receiving them. When asked, he said that he had rescued Bruce Wayne a time or two in this building. He wanted to deck Wally and Roy when they snorted, but the Bat Glare of Death seemed to get the message across. All three of them knew that if Robin were to really try, Roy and Wally would get their asses kicked.

And if Robin giving orders was not enough, Roy and Wally were both adding their input too. All in all, it led to a very disorganized take down, which led to the team needing to clear the building again, looking for additional hostages and bad guys. Hence, Robin checking the security feeds. The team didn't need to know that he hadn't hacked the feeds but rather logged in automatically as soon as he entered the building. Later, he would erase all traces of Dick Grayson being in the building, but until then, he needed to be careful. Or fake a Gotham emergency, leave the building, sneak back in, change into his spare clothes in Bruce's private office, and then reintroduce himself to the team as Dick Grayson, the boy who had wanted to visit his friend Roy but had gone to the office to drop off some paperwork for his dad.

Robin shook his head. He needed to focus. He would only pose as Dick Grayson if the need arises. It would be suspicious if Robin disappeared only for Dick Grayson to appear. Pausing for a moment, Robin appreciated the complexities of his life. And the fact that he thought of Dick Grayson and Robin as two separate people. He wondered if that was a problem? Maybe he should ask Bruce. Granted, Bruce seemed to have the same issue, so he would probably say that it was a nonproblem. But was it a nonproblem if a person with the same problem decreed it a nonproblem? Maybe he should just ask Alfred. Unless Alfred had a secret identity and actually had the same problem. Robin did a mental shrug. He could live with being crazy, everyone seemed to think he was for actually liking Batman. Or was it Bruce?

Once again Robin shook his head and tried to focus on the task at hand. Sighing, Robin realized that there was no way to tell if there were people left in the building by just checking security feeds. If the bad guys were any good, they would avoid areas where there were security cameras and motion sensors, which meant hacking into building schematics. While that wasn't easy, Robin could hardly classify the plans as top secret either. And while Batman may have added extra security, there was no way he could access that without alerting his team that there was something hinky about Bruce Wayne. So, the only option was to access them in secret and allow the computer to notify him if the bad guys were doing things they weren't supposed to, and have the team clear the building room by room.

Clearing his throat slightly, he addressed the team. "As far as I can tell, the building is clear. But, there could be people in security blind spots. We need to clear the building, which means room by room searches."

Wally groaned. "Isn't that a job for the city police? We probably took out all the baddies, can't they do the rest?"

Robin rubbed his temples. As much as he loved the speedster, he only ever thought with his stomach. "Wally. All the equipment in the building is worth more than your life. City cops would never be able to pay back Bruce Wayne for any damages they would cause during a gun battle."

Artemis frowned. "Our battles tend to get pretty messy. What's the difference?"

Roy cut Robin off before he could answer Artemis' question. "The Justice League can actually pay the bill. Which is ironic, because Bruce Wayne is the one funding the Justice League. He'd basically be paying the League to pay him back."

Logically, Robin knew that that was not a dig at his mentor. Yet he couldn't help himself from blurting out, "Well maybe if Oliver Queen donated to the League, Bruce Wayne wouldn't have to foot the bill by himself!"

"Like Bruce Wayne can't afford it. Besides, Oliver Queen helps support worthwhile causes like Native American Reservations."

"Oh yeah? Bruce Wayne supports orphanages and circuses! Not to mention funds scholarships and volunteers at Youth Centers! Do you know how many paid internships he gave out to underprivileged kids this year? More than the number of unpaid internships Oliver Queen gave, that's for sure!"

Artemis had no idea what was going on, but she saw that Roy's fingers were reaching for his arrows and Robin was crouched low and ready to pounce. She had no doubt that a fight would break out momentarily if she didn't stop it. She briefly noted that Wally looked like he was wishing for popcorn as he excitedly watched the two get ready to fight. "Hey knuckleheads! Why the hell are you two fighting? What, are you getting into a pissing match over which city's millionaire is a better philanthropist?"

Robin sniffed moodily. "First of all, Bruce Wayne is a billionaire not a millionaire. Secondly, shouldn't you of all people be on the 'Bruce Wayne is so great' train?"

Artemis stiffened and narrowed her eyes. How the hell did he know? She had been so careful! Did that mean he knew her other secrets? She was still on the team, so Batman couldn't know. But if Robin knew, there was no way that Batman didn't. Deciding to play it cool, she said, "Shouldn't we clear the building? For all we know, there are still hostages."

Realizing what he said, Robin winced. Now they'd actually have to talk about the fact that he and Batman knew her biggest secret despite the fact that Green Arrow had idiotically promised that they would not find out. Of course they were going to find out, they were detectives and the best of the best too. They had to be, living in Gotham.

Robin was shocked out of his thought when he heard a cry and the team's startled gasp. Realizing that they had started the search without him, he jogged up to where they were gathered around a supply closet. With one hand on his utility belt, he approached with caution. What he saw definitely shocked him. His clueless team had their weapons drawn (but not pointed at) a small child. Robin estimated the boy to be around four, but he could be older and small for his age.

Shoving past his team. Robin crouched down next to the boy. The boy gave a startled gasp and scrambled back as far as he could in the supply closet, tears still leaking down his face. Giving a small smile, Robin somersaulted so that he was once again next to the boy. Sticking his hand out, Robin introduced himself to the child. "Hi! My name's Robin and I work with Batman. In fact, he's kinda like my dad. Is your dad or mom here somewhere?"

The blinked before hesitantly putting his hand in Robin's. "My name's Brian. My Mommy works here. She saw one of the bad guys coming and shoved me in here. I don't know if she's okay!"

Robin resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow. That had sure escalated quickly. Bruce had probably dealt with worse from him, but that was definitely not the point. "It's okay, Little Man. We got everyone out of the building. Why don't we go outside and look for your mommy while my team continues to search the building for the really really slow people?"

Brian took a moment to contemplate the answer before nodding slowly. "But I want to go out the cool way!"

###

Bruce Wayne was standing outside the building that his son and friends were supposed to be clearing. He figured that when Robin saw him he would find an excuse to change into Dick Grayson and they could leave to that emergency meeting that Oliver Queen had set up. He had no idea why Dick had to be there, but the man was most certainly an idiot. The whole Artemis situation was proof of that.

He was startled out of his inner monologue about how stupid Oliver Queen was when he saw his son suddenly jump out of a window with a small boy in his arms. While it was not unusual to see Robin flying over the streets of Gotham, it was unusual to see him use the grappling line instead of the stairs while carrying a child out of the building. Bruce felt his eyebrow tick. They were definitely going to have a talk about this when they were in the car. The very sound proof car.

A woman came running out of the crowd, and cried as she took the boy from Robin's arms.

Robin grinned and looked up. Their eyes locked, and an understanding passed through them. In tiney, jerky movements, Bruce signed that Roy was needed in civvies too. Robin nodded, said something through the mind-link and waited. Red Arrow came running out of the building a moment later and they both jumped on their motorcycles and drove away. Bruce knew that they were going to go around the block and into an alley that disguised the entrance to an underground tunnel. From there, robin would lead them to the hidden entrance to Wayne Corps basement, where they would take a secret tunnel into his office on the top floor. There they would change into the emergency civvies he had left. Rumpling up their clothes, they would exit the office, stumble upon the team, claim they were dropping something off, heard the bad guys coming and hidden in his panic room, and only came out because Dick had accessed the security feeds and Robin had signaled that it was safe to come out.

Bruce found out later that he was mostly right. Apparently, Robin had not signaled that it was safe, but rather had created a graffiti image on the security tapes of Red Arrow and Robin standing back to back on a pile of bad guys. The caption read, "Yo Dickhead and Royboy! No more baddies, so you can come out now!"

Bruce had no idea when his son had had the time to create that image, but he hoped that Roy was the one who came up with the caption. Dick's wordplay was bad enough as it was.

The team exited the building with Roy and Dick in tow. Dick was of course, being his annoying self and asking why Superboy couldn't fly him down like Robin had down with the kid. Nobody, accept Bruce that is, thought to question the boy how he had known that piece of information. Knowing his son, the boy was disappointed.

Their casual conversations came to a stop when a limo screeched to a stop in front of them and Oliver Queen quickly jumped out and hugged Roy. "I was so worried about you! Why didn't you call me? I had to find out from Bruce Wayne of all people that you were here! And he only knew because Dick was a good boy and called him!"

Both Dick and Bruce bristled. Oliver Queen was a dead man. If they were lucky, they could get Black Canary to join in on the revenge. Roy seemed to be annoyed too, as he shoved Oliver off of him. Turning to Dick, he said, "Remember that argument we had earlier, when we were in the panic room? Your billionaire is so much cooler than my millionaire."

The team blinked in shock and confusion. What were the odds that Roy and Dick had had the same conversation as Robin and Red Arrow? What if? Shaking their heads, they decided that it must simply be a coincidence.

Wally meanwhile, looked like he was having problems breathing. Dick shrugged. He'd figure out how to breathe again. He always did.

Oliver, looked extremely offended, and followed his ward to the limo shouting, "What do you mean, he's better that me! I'm better looking! And a better dad! Not to mention my luck with the ladies!"

Bruce casually threw an arm over Dick's shoulders. Nodding once to the team, he walked to the car where Alfred was waiting. "So? I'm better than Ollie?"

Dick shrugged casually. "Well. Ollie doesn't exactly set the bar high. There's not really much of a standard to beat. I wouldn't be too proud of myself."

Dick knew that Bruce saw the small quirk in his lips and his relaxed posture as he interlaced his fingers and placed them on his head. Bruce would know that he was poking fun at him and was not at all serious.

Dick clambered into the back seat, and was only mildly surprised when Bruce climbed in next to him.

Dick waited patiently. Bruce obviously had something to say and he wouldn't say it until he was good and ready to. "So. I saw you jump out of that building with that boy. I thought we talked about not grappling without a valid reason."

Dick deflated. Of course he saw that. Bruce couldn't have arrived just after he grappled out of the building? "The kid asked me to. He gave the best puppy eyes you've ever seen. And you've seen mine!"

Bruce stared at him. "Puppy eyes don't work on you remember?"

Shrugging in embarrassment, Dick said, "Like a good drug dealer, you don't get addicted to your own product."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. And waited. Dick started getting antsy, but tried to hold out. After five minutes, Dick finally burst out, "So I really wanted to grapple! It's not like I don't do it everyday! What's the big deal? I made sure the kid was harnessed to me and everything! He was completely safe!"

Lips twitching a little, Bruce shook his head. "I wasn't mad Chum. Just thought it was funny that you gave in so easily. I know that you will use anything as an excuse to fly."

Dick shrugged and then grinned. "Whatever Dad. Thanks for understanding. So why exactly are we going to a meeting with Oliver Queen? And why am I needed?"

Bruce raised an eyebrow at Dick's topic change but went along with it. "Don't know. Oliver's an idiot."

Dick grinned. "Don't I know it! The whole Artemis situation."

Bruce shook his head. Great minds think alike and all that. "That mess is the pinnacle of his stupidity. Guess we'll have to see what Oliver wants. Most likely it's something stupid."

Dick shrugged. "Whatever. We got to mess with the team because of him. I suppose I should say thanks."

Bruce shrugged and rolled his eyes. Which Dick took to mean that he was both done with the conversation and that he thought apologizing would be pointless. Shifting in his seat, Dick got more comfortable. Leaning slightly onto Bruce, he closed his eyes and relaxed. It had been a long day, and he had half an hour to take a nap before they arrived at Oliver Queen's office.

Bruce shifted a little, and Dick felt immediately more comfortable. Finally, he allowed himself to relax fully, knowing without a doubt that he was safe.

Bruce watched out of the corner of his eyes as Dick fell asleep. As soon as he was positive that his ward was completely out of it, he readjusted himself so that he could wrap his arm around Dick's shoulder.

Smiling slightly to himself, he caught Alfred's amused look from his reflection in the rearview mirror. Rolling his eyes at his butler, Bruce shifted so that he too was comfortable, and fell asleep.

Alfred admired his two sleeping charges in the back seat. He knew that both would snap awake at a moment's notice or at the hint of danger. Slowing the car to a crawl. He decided that it was a good thing that Oliver had called and rescheduled the meeting for a later day while Bruce was waiting impatiently outside of the Wayne Corp building. It allowed him to drive his charges home, while they slept, instead of allowing them to zeta to Gotham and stay up all night. Later, Bruce would grouse that he had been deceptive, but Alfred knew that despite his grumblings, Bruce really did appreciate the extra time with his son in the car and the sleep. And who was Alfred to prevent Bruce from receiving those things? He lived to serve after all.

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 **A/N: So...I graduated! On a more related note, I stared at my curser for like an hour trying to figure out what to write. Anyways...I really, really need prompt ideas for this story. Please, please, please help me! Thanks so much guys! XOXO**


	31. Helping A Friend In Need

**Helping A Friend In Need**

Robin was panicking. Batman had given him one task. And a month to do it. And as usual, he had procrastinated. A lot. And now, he was arriving at the deadline with no time to possibly complete the task he was assigned. At least not completed to the level that Batman expected. The task at hand, clean the Batcave.

###

Robin rushed into the cave. It was his only hope. His friends were his only hope. After checking the kitchen, Robin ran into the living room. There he found all of his friends engaged in a game of charades.

Rushing into the middle of the charade circle. Robin gasped out, "Need. Help. Now. Emergency!"

Like the good and worried heroes they were, the team circled Robin trying to find any sort of visible injury. Usually, nothing fazed the young hero. Perhaps it was because he had been a hero the longest, or perhaps it was because he worked in Gotham. Either way, none of them had ever seen Robin so freaked out. So naturally, they feared the worst.

Wally was the one who addressed their concerns. "Dude! What happened? Where's the baddie? Is Bats alright? Should we call the League?"

Robin blinked. "No...why would you think that? This is worse than any alien invasion or Arkham breakout!"

The team waited in bated suspense for Robin to tell them what could possibly be worse than those two things. "I forgot to clean the Batcave!"

###

"So...this is the Batcave. I didn't think it would actually be a cave." Artemis tried to break the awkward silence. After Robin's freakout, he overrode the security so that each of them could enter the Batcave even though they normally wouldn't have high enough security clearance.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'll tell you the rich history and everything later. Right now we need to clean! KF! Put these scrub brushes on your feet and zoom around. Don't miss a spot and make sure not to crash into anything. Artemis! Please dust the shelves and stuff. Miss M! You dust the stuff she can't reach. Kaldur! You use your water thingies to hose down all the vehicles. Canner? Can you please dry them and take care to not scratch them? I'll work on the computers. I need to run a thorough system diagnostic and clean out the system so that they run faster."

Robin took a deep breath and looked them each in the eyes. "I'm not going to lie. You go up that elevator, you'll learn my identity and Batman's. I'm trusting you to wait for me to tell you. You go up there and I can't guarantee what Bats will do for betraying our trust. I can't guarantee what I'll do. So trust that one day, I will tell you. Trust that the information will be the greatest burden you will ever encounter. And remember this: Only the founding fathers of the League know who we are. And almost every single member of the League who doesn't know, has known us longer than you guys have. The League is riddled with secrets, yet ours is the only one that stays secret."

Artemis took a deep breathe. She had never thought that Robin's identity remained secret for any reason beyond Batman's infamous paranoia. It made sense though. The heroes of Gotham always seemed to have a heavy burden. Perhaps who they were during the day caused that burden. Or perhaps it was who they weren't during the day.

Reluctantly, Artemis grabbed the duster from Robin's awaiting hands. She couldn't believe that she was voluntarily cleaning, but she supposed having Robin owe her one would be useful in the future. The kid had some serious connections.

It was interesting though, how the team worked cleaning similarly how they did in the field. Robin was working on the computer, M'gann was levitating, Kaldur using his water bearers, Wally zipping and zagging around. Conner would never be as gentle in the field as he was working on the Batmobile, and she herself would never dust, but it was a pretty accurate comparison.

After three hours of hard work, the team collapsed into a pile at the center of the cave. Robin lazily surveyed the scene and noted the sparkles of cleanness coming from nearly every surface. He wondered if that was he tired brain making things up, but decided that he didn't care. It was too nice, and he was too lazy to figure it out.

Giving a dopey smile to each of his friends, he said, "Imma gonna get us an award."

Bounding to the elevator, Robin briefly noted that Bruce would strangle him if he knew that he left his team alone in the cave. An argument could be made that Wally could watch over them and make sure that they didn't touch anything, but Bruce would most likely argue that it was Wally he was worried about.

Stepping out of the elevator and into Bruce's study, Robin spotted the tray of steaming cookies waiting for him. Plucking up the note, Robin quickly read it.

 _Master Dick,_

 _I thought that you and your friends may be hungry and wanting a small treat after all that hard work. Master Bruce shall be home in an hour if you wish to have your friends be gone before then. I have taken the liberty of editing the security tapes to make it look that it was only you in the basement. While Master Bruce has ways of finding these things out, for now, it shall remain our little secret._

 _~A_

Grinning, Robin folded the note up and stuffed it into his utility belt. Grabbing the tray of cookies, he bounded back to the elevator. He'd have to remember to safely dispose of the note later, but for now, he's enjoy cookies with his friends before he sent them back to the cave and took credit for all their hard work. For that was true friendship.

###

Bruce blinked, and then read the note again. What the hell? He had been restocking Robin's utility belt when he had found a folded up and crumpled note. So maybe he had been snooping slightly, but what father wouldn't?

"Dick? Can you come here for a moment?"

As usual, Dick entered the room with a certain amount of flair that only someone who used to live in the circus could pull off. In this case, he came in walking on his easily onto his feet, he sauntered the last few steps to Bruce and asked, "What's up, Boss?"

Choosing to ignore Dick's newest nickname for him, Bruce held up the note. "What in the world does this mean? Alfred edited security tapes for you?"

Dick took one look at the note before smacking his forehead. "I knew I forgot something. Wait? Why were you in my belt?"

Bruce fidgeted for a second before lifting his chin. "I was restocking it. Now what does this mean? And what friends? Did you bring the team here!"

Dick's mind blurred. Did he admit to guilt and grovel or should he deny, deny, deny? Wait a second. "I've been restocking my own equipment for a year and a half now! You were snooping!"

"That was a blatant change of subjects. Did bring your friends here?"

"Now look who's changing subjects. I think that we should both agree to forget everything we've learned today."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "And why would I agree to that. I do remember being your legal guardian you know."

Dick grinned maliciously. "If you don't, then I'll tell Alfred about you snooping through my stuff! I can't imagine that he'd approve."

Any trace of a smile fell from Bruce's face. "It's a deal. No telling Alfred, and I won't punish you. Just don't do it again without permission."

With that, Dick and Bruce shook hands seriously before walking off in separate directions. Both were unaware of the amused butler hiding in the shadows.

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 **A/N: Guess what? This story is now over 100 pages long! Also, I want to thank _TT-RichardDickGrayson-YJ_ for the prompt idea. I got stuck after Robin's initial freak out, but a good nights sleep definitely helped.**

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 **What do you want to see next?**

Robin is a surprisingly good dirty dancer _(roxassoul)_

 **OR**

Team in another universe (probably Marvel) _(WhatSup121)_

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 **Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	32. Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 1)

**Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 1)**

Robin was both annoyed, confused, and though he would never admit it outloud, scared. Wally had been messing with his newest souvenir when suddenly the team was engulfed by a bright blue light. When Robin was able to see again, they were on some sort of plane.

The rest of the team was slower to get their bearings. Immediately, they tried to figure out where and possibly even when they were.

Knowing the possible dangers, Robin hissed, "We need to get out of here. Then we can figure out what the hell just happened."

Looking Kaldur in the eyes, he said, "Batman and I have some experience with ending up in weird places. I'm going to take lead on this."

Kaldur nodded. "No one dies today, Robin."

Robin smirked, "As far as I can tell, we're not in our world, which means that we have no obligation to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good." Turning serious, he continued. "We need to get into an air vent or something. I'm going to need time to hack this air carrier to find out where we are and how we can escape."

Nodding, the team started to search. Unfortunately, they didn't find it in time. A soldier came around the corner, immediately spotted the brightly clad heroes, and ran off. Less than a minute later, alarms were blaring and Robin knew that it was only a matter of time before they were cornered. Turning to Conner, Kaldur and Artemis, he yelled, "Break the glass! Aqualad use your electricity! Artemis use an exploding arrow. Superboy, on my mark, you hit that glass harder than anything you've ever hit before!"

Artemis and Kaldur set to work immediately. Robin could tell that the glass was some sort of reinforced polymer that was not supposed to break. He was hoping that the combination of electricity and explosives would weaken it enough to break if Conner punched it hard enough. Theoretically, he would have had Artemis and Kaldur work longer, but he could hear an army of footsteps heading their way, and if they had any hope of escaping, they needed to do it now.

"Now Superboy!" Robin watched in awe as Conner launched himself as the glass and threw his fist powerfully. The glass broke in a large spider-webbed pattern, but it did not shatter as hoped. Robin cursed loudly before taking an explosive out of his belt. Praying swiftly and silently to anyone who would listen, Robin placed the explosive and jumped away yelling, "Shield us, Miss M!"

M'gann was able to shield them just in time. Robin could feel a few burns and he was positive that there was shrapnel in his back, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Spying soldiers coming around the corner carrying weapons the likes of Robin had never seen before, Robin yelled one final command. "Jump!"

###

Robin could honestly say that as much as he liked jumping out of planes and the adrenaline rush it gave him, he preferred it when he had a parachute on. The free falling experience was just all too close to what he had witnessed as a child. Steeling his nerves, he communicated with the team via mindlink. _It looks like we're over the water. M'gann, can you slow our decent right before we hit the water? After that, it's up to you Kaldur to get us to land safely._

Robin could feel M'gann preparing herself before she said, _I can slow us down, but it still won't be a pleasant landing._

Robin was trying to think about what he had learned about landing in water, when Wally answered for him. _If Kaldur can somehow make bubbles in the water, the landing will be much softer. Especially if M'gann can slow us down before then._

Robin squinted. The water was approaching much faster than he would've liked. The last thing he heard was, _I will try. But I can not guarantee…_

The team hit the water hard. Robin gasped, and his lungs filled with water. The burns on his back throbbed, and despite how hard he tried to swim, Robin found himself sinking. Closing his eyes, Robin allowed the blackness envelope him.

###

Robin let out a loud gasp and sat up. A low groan escaped him as his body throbbed and his skin stretched. Looking around him, he discovered that he was lying on a beach next to a fire. Scanning the area, he saw that the beach was surrounded by forestry and that there were no people in sight. Sighing, he tried to stand, but after falling over, decided that it would probably be best if he stayed seated.

Robin wondered if he should be worried about his friends. They were nowhere in sight, and he had woken up alone. Granted, someone had clearly bandaged his torso, so they were probably fine. Or at least as fine as they could be in this given situation.

As if hearing his thoughts (and with M'gann that was entirely possible) the team came out of the woods with some more firewood and a few edible berries.

M'gann was the first to notice that he was in fact awake. "Robin! We were so worried! Why didn't you tell us you were injured in the explosion?"

Robin shrugged. "Don't worry Miss M, I've had worse. I'm fine." Ignoring the teams disbelieving stares, Robin turned serious. "Look. We need to find out where we are and how to get back. And seeing that I'm pretty sure the thing we jumped out of was a government sanctioned vehicle, we're probably some of the most wanted people in the country."

The team nodded along seriously, not even bothering to question how he knew that the vehicle was government property. He was the World's Greatest Detective's partner after all.

Dick stared at his glove, wondering if it would still work. Bruce and him had been working on making it waterproof, but so far the glove held up only half the time. Taking it off, Dick experimentally turned it on. Some of the gloves had exploded, and he really didn't want to have to deal with more burns.

The computer buzzed for a moment before turning on. Turning it off again, Robin turned to the rest of the team. "My glove still works, which means that we still have access to hacking. As far as I can tell, Artemis has most of her arrows, and I have most of the stuff in my utility belt. What we need now is to set up base camp, food, water, and new clothes. I'd recommend setting up shelter here as there is no need for ID's and nobody will recognize us."

The team nodded and Artemis spoke up. "Robin, we still need money for food and clothes, and all I have on me is five dollars for the bus."

The rest of the team grumbled their agreement and started digging out their money. Wally had twenty dollars for the vending machines, Kaldur had one gold coin from Atlantis, M'gann had ten dollars that was left over from shopping and Conner had none.

The team looked dismally at their combined money, and Robin snapped his fingers. Taking off his boot, he removed the fake sole and dug out ten crisp one hundred dollar bills. Seeing the team's shocked stares, he shrugged. "Batman believes in being prepared. I have a credit card on me, but I doubt that it will work here. And even if it does, cash is not traceable like plastic is."

Turning to M'gann and Conner, he smiled slightly. "I want you two to go shopping for us. You guys can pass for wearing normal attire if M'gann changes her appearance." Squinting at Conner, he took some of the berries and started to create a salve. "Let's give you a few streaks. It will wash out, but changing your hair color slightly will do wonders in disguising yourself." Biting his lip, Robin pulled out a pair of glasses from his belt. "These seem to work for Supes. Maybe they'll give you luck."

Conner shrugged, but slipped on the glasses. Robin watched as M'gann changed her appearance to Megan Morse. Robin shook his head slightly and she changed it again to look more like Black Canary. Robin nodded and handed them two hundred dollars. "Try to spend as little as possible. We need to conserve our resources."

The two nodded before disappearing in the woods. Sighing, Robin turned to the rest of the team. "Kaldur, if you could get us some fresh water, that would be great. And Artemis and Wally, maybe you guys could focus on finding some shelter?"

"What are you going to do Bro?" Robin could see the concern on Wally's face. He's be concerned too if the roles were reversed. While his injuries were more painful than life-threatening, he was at serious risk for some sort of infection. Not to mention that his movements were restricted, which would become a problem if they were to encounter another battle.

Faking a smile, Robin cracked his knuckles and grabbed his hologlove off of the sand. "Simple. I'm going to find this world's Bruce Wayne. He's the only person who would have the resources to create a machine to send us home." He just hoped that the man would help them.

###

Seven people stood in front of the gaping hole on the Helicarrier. Tony Stark admired the genius that it took to figure out how to break the glass. Not even the Hulk could break it by simply punching it.

Turning to Nick Fury, he asked what was on everyone's mind. "What are we supposed to do when we find these kids?"

Nick Fury growled and Tony sweared that the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. "You find them and bring them to me by any means necessary. I want to know what they know."

The team exchanged glances before nodding. They had their orders. Now they just had to find them. Staring out the gaping hole they observed the wide expanse of water and the distant land. Finding them would be the easy part. Capturing them alive, that would be the real challenge.

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 **A/N: I'm actually strangely proud of this chapter. Thank you _WhatSup121_ for the great idea! Anyways, let me know what you think and I'll get back to writing the next chapter! I'm not sure how long this arch is going to go, but it might be 1-3 more chapters.**


	33. Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 2)

**Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 2)**

If it weren't for the fact that they were probably being hunted down like animals, Robin would say that their little beach hut campout was almost like the time that him and Bruce had rented a private island. That being said, they were being hunted like animals, and that led to a very tense atmosphere. Not at all what the private island atmosphere was like.

Sighing in defeat, Robin observed the team. Everyone was in civvies, but they were tense and ready for a fight. Glancing down at his computer, he turned it off and stood up. He had the information they needed. Now he needed to conserve what was left of the battery.

Calling his friends over to him, Robin slumped his shoulders. "Okay. Good news and bad news. What do you want to hear first?"

Wally answered for the team. "Good news. No wait! Bad news. No! I changed my mind! Good news! Oh. Wait. What if the bad news is really bad. Bad news first."

Cutting Wally off before he could continue changing his mind, Robin said, "Okay. Good news is I found this world's Bruce Wayne. Bad news is, it's not actually Bruce Wayne. In fact he's a hero that goes by the name Ironman. Worse news is, he works for SHIELD. Same place we broke out of yesterday."

The team was silent for a moment before Kaldur spoke. "May I assume that there is no Justice League on this Earth?"

Robin nodded. "From what I can tell, there's a group of heroes that call themselves the Avengers on this Earth. Problem is, the SHIELD leader Nick Fury is their boss."

"So basically we're screwed." Artemis moaned, cradling her head in her hands. What would her mom think when she didn't come home? No doubt she would assume that her father had taken her.

Robin tutted. "I didn't say that, did I? I did manage to find the Avenger's headquarters. It's basically the top floor of Tony Stark's building. It's actually in this city."

M'gann forced a smile. "Conner and I saw it when we grabbed supplies yesterday. But how is this considered beneficial?"

Robin couldn't help it, he started to grin. "Well, just like the Justice League, there are two leaders in the Avengers. Captain America, the public leader, loved by all, especially the government. And Tony Stark, cunning leader who tends to be hated by governments because he doesn't follow orders. He's a maverick."

Wally blinked. "Dude. You serious?"

Robin winked. "Basically we have Batman and Superman. We get to Stark, he might help us instead of turning us in. Good news is, Stark is the only one that usually inhabits the building. We just need to make it to the top floor."

Artemis lifted her head up. Perhaps the situation was not as helpless as it seems. "And how do you suggest we do that? Security has to be intense."

Cracking his knuckles, Robin cackled. "Stark is cocky. He has an AI in charge of everything. Guess he didn't expect a hacker like me. I was able to deduce that he would be out of office for the next few hours. Soon as he gets back, he'll find us waiting. He asks the AI to alert anyone, and he'll find that JARVIS is only able to say phrases from my audio file labeled 'Batman's Greatest Hits.' We just need to find a way to the top floor."

###

It turned out that Robin's credit cards did in fact work. Robin's plan was simple. Act like they belonged. Which is why he had them all dressed like rich people, with Artemis, Kaldur, and Conner acting as security. While Artemis found herself pleasantly surprised at her Secret Service inspired outfit, what she found herself most surprised at was how comfortable Robin was in a suit. With his sunglasses on and his hair styled in a trendy fashion, Robin looked every bit as rich and dignified as all the other customers in the store.

From there, Robin led them to a very tall building in the heart of the city. Turning to the team, he said, "Okay. So there should be a lobby with two security guards manning the metal detectors. Obviously, we'd set them off. So, I'm going to try using Batlapse. If it works, they should zone out long enough for us to walk around the corner and into the elevator. Otherwise we have a problem. And remember guys. Let me do the talking. I have the rich and entitled act down."

Wally snorted quietly and Robin raised a silent eyebrow at him, hopefully conveying that he should shut up for his own safety. Squaring his shoulders, Robin lifted his chin slightly and marched inside with his team following at a slower pace behind him.

Robin walked up right to security, foregoing to the secretary who was clearly trying to catch his attention. When security raised a single eyebrow at him, Robin waved a file he had nicked from the delivery boy. "My father asked me to deliver this to Stark. Said it was the utmost importance to their new business deal. Can you believe that? He asked me, his son, to run an errand for him! Do I look like some delivery boy?"

By the then the second guard had approached. Continuing to rant about the class divide and his social standing, Robin waited for the guards to look away for a brief second. Sure enough, they shared an amused look a moment later, and Robin sprung into action. Spraying them in the face, Robin gestured for his team to hurry around the metal detectors and to the elevators.

Luckily, the elevator was on the bottom floor. Once in the elevator, Robin unclipped his belt from where it was locked across his chest and hidden by his suit jacket. Clipping it back into place, he watched as Artemis finished putting her bow back together and collected the arrows that everyone had hidden at the small of their backs.

Exiting the elevator on the top floor, the team moved cautiously to Tony Stark's office. There, Robin expertly picked the locks and ushered the team inside. Sitting down at the desk, Robin kicked his boots up and smirked. Now all they had to do was wait.

###

Tony rubbed his temples. It had been a seriously long day. He had spent hours with the team trying to locate the children with no luck. They couldn't even figure out if they had survived hitting the water, though chances were that they did. Why else would they risk jumping out of the Helicarrier?

What's worse was that Piper called him to remind him of all the things he had to do at the office. Which is why he was here, and not home.

As he rode in the elevator, he wondered what the chances were of him ever seeing those children. If they didn't want to be found, Tony had no doubt that they wouldn't be. Sighing, Tony rubbed his face. No matter. He would finish the stuff he had to do and then go home. Simple.

Opening his office, he discovered that nothing would be that simple. Because of course the very children he had been hunting all day were sitting there, and the smart one had his boots on his desk."

###

Robin scanned Tony Stark with interest. If half the things that the internet said about him were true, the man was both eerily similar and strikingly different from Bruce. He really hoped that Tony was not nearly as paranoid. That would make proving who they were very difficult. Unless they had a martian too. But Dick hadn't found any records of that.

Robin grinned when the man said, "JARVIS alert security and the Avengers. Apparently our guests came to us."

Robin's grin widened when JARVIS replied, "I don't have time to date. Only Justice."

Seeing the team's stares, Robin shrugged. "I told you it was from my audiofile 'Batman's Greatest Hits.' What, did you think the only thing he does is growl?" When they didn't respond right away, he said, "Don't answer that."

Turning his attention back to Tony, Robin smiled. "As you can see, I hacked JARVIS. Like the name by the way. Anyways, as you probably have guessed, we could have just disappeared, never to be seen again and all that. But instead here we are. I'm sure you're wondering why." Kicking his feet off of the desk, Robin leaned forward elbows, interlacing his fingers in the process. "The answer is simple. We need your help."

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 **A/N: So...what did you think? Hope I updated fast enough for you! Personally, I can totally see Robin having an audiofile of everything funny or weird Batman has ever said.**

 **.**

 **Have any ideas for the next segment? Or something that JARVIS might say now that Robin has control over him? Let me know in the review section!**


	34. Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 3)

**Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 3)**

Robin watched as Tony processed his words. If they were villains, they could have attacked, and he would be dead by now. Finally, he said, "And why would you need that? Seems like you have all the skills you need. Just look what you did to poor JARVIS."

Before Robin could answer, JARVIS said, "You overplayed your part. Yo." Robin couldn't help it. He burst out into a giggling fit. The fact that Bruce had once uttered the word 'Yo' was just too much for him to handle.

Calming himself, he deliberately ignored the shocked looks from his teammates and answered Tony's question. "While I agree that my hacking skills are off the charts, I don't have the resources to help us. In fact, I don't even have the right knowledge. Batman was always more well versed in the multiverse theory than I was."

Tony stared at the kids for a moment. "You can't seriously be claiming to be from another universe?"

Robin's grin faded. "We are. On our Earth, there is no Avengers. Instead, there's the Justice League. And we, well we're their partners."

###

Tony was just starting to get a handle on the whole, 'we're from another universe where you don't exist and heroes actually let kids fight beside them' thing when all hell broke loose. And by hell, he meant that the Avengers crashed the party.

Rogers walked in first, obviously in the middle of saying something, when he noticed the kids. The kids tensed, and their hands seemed to reach for hidden weapons. Tony was about to try and diffuse the situation, when the team, his team that is, charged.

Sighing, he went over to the leader boy. "Looks like I'm going to have to take you in. Sorry about that."

The boy simply raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you certain you can?"

Tony scowled and called his suit to him. Aiming a hand at the boy, he said, "I don't want to hurt you."

The boy simply raised an eyebrow, and if on queue, all the logistics and stats in his helmets started to be covered up by animated versions of the boy's face, all of which were laughing. "JARVIS! I could use a little help right now!"

"Would you like to dance?"

"Not at the moment, JARVIS do something!"

"Cry me a river."

With that, his suit shut down completely. Taking that moment to observe to battle ensuing around him, he noted that the kids were actually winning. And then he noted with growing horror, that Banner was getting angry. Well angrier than usual.

When the Hulk made its appearance, he noted that the little annoying hacker was the one to engage it. What's more, the boy seemed to be doing well. Using the hulks giant mass as a jungle gym, it became increasingly obvious to Tony that it wasn't his first time fighting a huge monster. Finally, the boy clambered around the Hulk's neck and said, "Buenas noches, Bane on steroids!" before jabbing a needle in the big guys neck. To the team, his team's surprise, Hulk went out like a light, turning back into Bruce Banner as he fell.

The boy turned to everyone and said, "Now. Stop acting like idiots! This building can't handle a battle of this magnitude!" Swaying slightly on his feet he said, "Now I could really use a nap." With that he collapsed, and for the first time, Tony saw the back of his suit jacket. It was covered in blood.

"We need to go to the med bay. JARVIS, make sure everything's in order!" Tony ignored his team and the growls coming from the boys team. How the kid had taken out the hulk in this condition was beyond him.

Tony realized that he should probably ask the boy to fix JARVIS when he woke up when the AI said, "Next time I leave Superman in charge, just hit me. Real hard."

While he had no idea what that meant, the young heroes seemed to, because they all started giggling and the redhead said something along the lines of, "Now that sounds like Batman!"

###

Robin sat up and groaned. What was with the deja vu? Granted, he had sat up groaning every other day since he had become Robin, but somehow this was different. Noting that he was in some sort of med bay, Robin looked down and saw that he was shirtless, the stark white bandages around his torso contrasting with his tanned skin.

Deciding that nobody put Robin in a corner, or in this case a med bay against his will, Robin cautiously moved to his feet. Grabbing a few medical supplies that might be useful, like a scalpel, Robin hastily made his way into the air vent. He had no idea what had happened after he passed out, but there was no way in hell that he was going to be held against his will. He was going to have to find his own way out.

Crawling through the vents was surprisingly easy. Finding an air pressure control panal, Robin used it to access the main database. It wasn't overly whelming but it would have been much easier with his hologlove. Now, it was a matter of gathering the right information. And praying, maybe someone would be listening for once.

###

Kaldur stared straight at the man dressed in the U.S. flag. He had long since surmised that that was Captain America the leader of the Avengers. Robin had said that it would be hard for them to convince him to help them, which is why they went to Tony Stark first. It appeared that now he had no choice but to convince this man of their innocence. Robin would probably know the perfect thing to say. In fact, it would not surprise Kaldur if the boy had made a plan of what to do in case the Avengers had shown up. He had certainly been unfazed by Tony Stark's suit and by the appearance of the green monster named the Hulk.

He was about to try and explain their situation to the man, when Tony Stark walked in looking confused and frazzled. "We got a small problem, Cap."

The man turned to face Tony and glared. Kaldur noted that it was not nearly as effective and scary as the Batglare. "What kind of problem Stark?"

Tony spread his forefinger and thumb an inch apart. "A tiny one. It seems the resident hacker and ninja escaped. Don't know how, I gave the kid enough sedatives to knock out a horse."

Wally started to giggle madly. "Dude! Daddybats has given Rob so many sedatives over the years that they stopped working. That and the kid has the fastest metabolism I've ever seen besides my own! You're in for it now!"

The Black Widow stepped away from the wall she was leaning against, "And how do you know he didn't just leave you behind?"

At that moment a figure jumped down from rafters. "Quote it JARVIS!"

The AI took a second before responding, "Batman to all points. I could use some air support. Since I can't fly. At all. Now would be good."

Robin cocked his head to the side. "While that is in my top five favorite quotes, that was not the one I was referring to."

"I could have escaped anytime, but I thought I'd stick around to keep an eye on you clowns."

Robin smirked. "Good job JARVIS. Say the next one."

"Get dressed. It's time we talked."

The only thing that Tony could think to say was, "Who was Batman interrogating while they were naked?"

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 **A/N: So I used quotes from Justice League for JARVIS. It was really hard to find quotes that were still funny even though they didn't have the right context. Or Batman says something really witty but without the seeing the fight it makes zero sense. Anyways...I hope you like it. I'm thinking maybe one or two more chapters. Not really sure though.**

 **Let me know if you have any ideas for the next chapter or for future prompts. I love hearing what you guys have to say!**


	35. Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 4)

**Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 4)**

Robin sat down at the head of the conference table confidently with his team was standing behind him. On the other side sat Tony with the Avengers located behind him. Now, he just had to pull a Bruce Wayne, and dominate the board room like a boss. Good thing that he had grown up observing so many business meetings.

Interlacing his fingers slightly, Robin leaned forward. "First things first. I know who all off you are, but you don't know us, and my team doesn't know you. I think we should take a moment to introduce ourselves, maybe say a few words about our powers and stuff."

Seeing the utter lack of response he was getting, Robin smiled. Bruce was right, business meetings were just like a game of chess, he needed to set the board up in a way that would lead to his undeniable victory. "I'll start. My name is Robin and I am thirteen years old, though I've been hearing for five years now. Besides being undeniably handsome, my skills include my quick wit, my hacking skills, and the fact that many consider me to be a ninja. Kaldur, why don't you go next."

Robin looked at the Atlantean to make sure they were getting the message. They were to use their real names if it meant they weren't compromising their identities. "My name is Kaldur'ahm and I am an Atlantean."

After that, the process went quick with Wally and M'gann excitedly introducing themselves, before Artemis and Conner introduced themselves with slightly less enthusiasm."

When the Avengers didn't say anything, Robin leaned forward. "Shall I start for you?"

The Black Widow stepped forward. A small part of Robin admired how attuned to her body she was. It was like looking at an older, female version of himself. Or an assassin version of his mother. "You don't know anything about us, and I for one, want to keep it that way."

Robin raised a single eyebrow. Leaning back in his chair in a way that made his body language suggest openness, he said, "Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow, age thirty-two. Raised from an early childhood in the U.S.S.R. Black Widow Program. You were brainwashed to ensure your loyalty, in fact it was only recently that you discovered that you were never in fact a ballerina and that the Red Room was still in operation. Shall I go on?"

Natasha's eyes narrowed and her fingers twitched. Robin's muscles tensed, as he prepared himself to dodge any attack she might throw. "How did you know that?"

Wiggling his fingers slightly, he smirked. "All of your files were surprisingly easy to hack from an air control panel in the vents. It took you guys a while to figure out I was missing."

Tony smirked back. "You're a man after my own heart, Robin. Though I assume that is not your given name."

Robin shook his head and smiled sadly. "Afraid not. Unfortunately, I can't risk my civilian ID to be compromised. And while theoretically telling you won't make a difference, my friends don't know who I am either."

Nodding his head, Tony cracked his fingers. "I, like you, am a genius. And devilishly handsome. And an amazing hacker. Though I cannot claim the title of being a ninja."

After that, the introduction went quick. Of course, Robin already knew the information, but now his team was all caught up too. Well, caught up with who their potential friends or enemies were. It was still a coin toss really on whether or not they'd help them.

Casually scratching his chin, Robin studied the room's occupants. Everyone was deceptively calm, but he could tell that they were all ready for an attack. "Okay. Second thing I wanted to ask was if you caught your team up on our story, Mr. Stark."

Captain America leaned forward, answering before Tony could. He obviously wanted to remind Robin who was supposed to be the boss. Robin smirked internally. They made it way too easy for him to rile them up. "Tony did tell us about your claim, yes. I have yet to see actual evidence though."

Robin shrugged. "If you gave me back my equipment, I'm sure I could find you the proof you want."

The Captain frowned. Robin was shocked by how wrong it looked on his face. Perhaps, he really was like Superman and was a boy scout. It wouldn't surprise him considering all the other similarities on the team. "I don't think so."

"Well, it was worth a shot. If you'd like, M'gann can share our memories. You'll see that we're telling the truth after that."

The Avengers shared a look. Finally Captain America spoke up. "Only me. I won't endanger my team if this is some sort of trick."

Kicking a boot up on the table, Robin half smirked half smiled. "Wouldn't expect anything different of you Captain. You are a boy scout after all."

Tony started to cough violently to cover up his laughter. Robin turned to M'gann. "I show what memories I want him to see. You don't get to dig around my head, got it?"

M'gann was about to protest that she had learned her lesson, but the look on Robin's face made her stop. He was taking a risk, she realized. To let him in her head. To not be in control. Nodding her head, she said, "I will only show Captain America the memories that you wish him to see."

Closing his eyes, Robin took a deep breathe. "Let's do this."

###

 _He was looking at a dirty alley. In front of him, there was a figure of a man. Rage circled his gut. He had to get revenge. Revenge for what that man had done to his family. He needed justice. Before he could approach the man, a figure dressed completely in black swooped down and scooped him up._

" _What are you doing here?" The figure growled._

" _That man killed my family! He needs to get what's coming to him!"_

 _###_

" _I thought you wanted Zucco to get what's coming to him?" The figure in black asked curiously._

 _He stared off in the distance before looking at the figure. "He did, didn't he? Justice."_

 _###_

 _He was slightly older and taller now. He stood besides the man in black as he spoke to a league of sorts. They were all looking at him strangely, but it didn't bother him. He belonged here more than anyone did. Most of them had become heroes because of their powers. He had become one because he had an overwhelming need to help people. To make sure that no one became an orphan for preventable reasons. To protect the lives of innocents. To protect those who couldn't protect themselves._

 _He glanced at the man in black. He had given him a new purpose in life and for that, he was forever thankful._

 _###_

 _He was hijacking the team for his own personal use. Batman would be so angry when he found out. And he would find out. He just had to protect what was left of his former home._

 _Steeling his resolve, he told the team the mission. He would face the consequences when he got back. It was better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission._

 _###_

 _Laughter, bright color, joy. A woman smiles down at him radiating love and warmth. He looks at the crowds of people they were all here. To see him!_

 _Something goes wrong. Pain. Pain. So much pain. His hands are wet. Blood, he's covered in blood. Why is he covered in blood?_

###

"Get out of my head!" Robin couldn't help himself, he forcefully pushed M'gann out of his mind. Both her and the Captain had no right to see those memories. Building trust be damned. That memory was his and his alone. Only Bruce could possibly claim to share it, and only because he had gone through the same thing years earlier.

Turning a hard look to where the Captain was visibly shaken up, he said, "We good? Believe me now?"

The Captain nodded before asking, "Who was the man in black?"

Robin tilted his head slightly. It took him longer than he'd like to admit to realize that he was talking about his personal savior. "That's Batman."

Shivering to himself slightly, Robin took a deep breath and calmed his nerves. He could freak out later, preferably when he was safe in Batman's arms. "Now that that's all sorted out, let's get to the third order of business. I want us to be able to leave the building whenever we want. I think that you're not trying to help us or that you're going to turn us into Nick Fury and we're gone. We'll figure out our own way home."

The Avenger's were clearly not going for it. Narrowing his eyes, slightly Robin shrugged. It was their own fault that he was resorting to this. "Ms. Romanoff, would you say that we might be somewhat similar? Extensive training, ninjas, able to keep up with the other heroes despite a distinct lack of power?"

The redhead nodded slowly, narrowing her eyes slightly. Had he been a victim of the Red Room too? Or something similar to it?

Robin cocked his head. "I was a victim, yes. But not in the way you're thinking. My parents were murdered. I was supposed to die too. I sought out Batman and gave him a choice. Either he train me or I go off on my own and probably die. He chose to train me. Now, if you would kindly answer the question."

"Yes. I suppose we are."

"Now. How far would you do to ensure that you got what you want? To ensure that your team is safe? To protect the people you consider a family?"

"I would do anything necessary."

Robin cracked his neck. This was the moment of truth. They either got their way, or the team called his bluff. "What makes you think that I wouldn't? Tony? Why don't you ask JARVIS what else I had time to do? He should be able to respond now."

Tony sat up straighter. He was not getting a good feeling. "JARVIS? Are you there bud?"

"It appears that I am able to synthesize my own responses now, Sir."

Tony sighed. At least JARVIS wasn't quoting Batman anymore, whoever he was. "JARVIS, tell us what the twerp was up to between the time that he woke up and the time that he showed up with his friends."

Robin didn't bother responding to the twerp comment. Batman called him a pest often enough, though it was definitely more natured than the twerp comment.

"It appears, Sir, that he used equipment in the medical room to set bombs around the building at structural integrity appear to have some sort of detonator."

Holding up the phone that he had lifted off of one of the security guards earlier, Robin smirked, "You mean like this?"

###

The reaction was instantaneous, Captain America lunged forward at Robin. Robin took one of the scalpels that he had stolen earlier and threw it at the man, imbedding it in the wall right in front of his nose. "I'd be careful, the world's very best knife thrower taught me. You're lucky I wasn't aiming at you. Now. Can we talk like civilized people? You really don't want to know what else I stole."

Tony leaned forward. "If anything kid, you're the one acting uncivilized."

Robin frowned slightly. "Look. I have people waiting for me at home. You don't know Batman. He's probably already figured out where we are and is on his way here."

For the first time, Thor spoke. "Why would that not be a good thing, young one?"

Robin rolled his eyes at the comment about his age. "I'll repeat, you don't know Batman. You think we caused chaos coming here, he'll commandeer your helicarrier and destroy anyone in his path to find me."

From the corner that he was sitting in quietly, Bruce Banner finally spoke up. "How do you know he'll do that?"

Robin's eyes narrowed slightly, and the room's temperature seemed to drop slightly. "Because that's what I would do. The helicarrier would give me the best resources to find him, and it has plenty of people to interrogate for information. It would also allow me to pose as a government agency. There's just one small problem."

"And what would that be?"

"Batman's a lot more brutal than I am. If we don't get out of here soon, you'll find a trail of bodies." Robin left out the part that the bodies would still be alive. Sure they would be badly maimed and possibly need CPR, but they would live. Somehow mentioning that Batman had a 'no kill rule' made the statement less dramatic. And he needed to play up the urgency of them leaving.

Standing up, Robin placed his hands on the desk and said, "So will you help us get home? Or should we leave right now and figure it out ourselves?"

The team gazed at each other for a moment before Tony shrugged. "Well I'm in. I like pissing off Fury anyways."

Captain America nodded. "The rest of us will help in any way we can. Everybody deserves to be able to go home to their families, wherever, and whenever that might be."

Robin sighed. "That's great. Guess I won't be needing this anymore." With that, he tossed the phone casually to the other side of the table. Hawkeye dove and caught it, much to to the relief of everybody.

Seeing that everybody was glaring at him, Robin stretched casually. "What? It's not like there are actual bombs in the building. I mean I had the time to, but I'm not a real explosives expert. I know where and how to place them, not to mention how to diffuse them, but making them is more Wally's expertise."

Tony blinked. "But JARVIS said…"

Robin cackled. "Dude! You knew I could hack JARVIS from the beginning! All I did was hack into the security sensors and add an image of a man in a suit making explosives. Then I recalibrated the image to match my height and weight and took an image of my face from earlier footage and placed it over the image. JARVIS never checked to see if it was a fake. I just had to make sure that you guys were listening to me. I grew up learning how to make sure that people bigger, stronger, faster, and whatever other power you can think of, would listen to me. Just like I made you listen."

To everyone's especially her own, Natasha started to laugh, "You built similarities between us to convince us it was real, right?"

Robin shrugged. "We are very similar. But you would've blown this building up. I wouldn't."

Seeing her nod, Robin clapped his hands. "If we're still good, I could really use a nap. I'm hoping the blood sample you took from me earlier will allow you to locate our Earth, Mr. Stark."

Tony blinked, "How'd you? Never mind. I'll get started while you guys rest. I'm assuming that someone will be watching my every move?"

"Yup!" Robin declared cheerily. "Wally, you mind?"

The speedster shrugged. "As long as I get some grub."

Tony stood up. "Then it's settled. Let's get to work!"

###

As it turned out, fate had other plans. The windows burst in and figures decked in black combat gear rushed in on repelling cords. Standing by the open doors of a hovering helicopter was Nick Fury. "Apprehend the children! Do not let them escape! Take them out if need be!"

Turning to M'gann, Robin gave a slight nod. Immediately, she linked them all up. Not taking his eyes off of the men in front of him, Robin said, _Link in the Avengers._ Seeing the team's eyes widen, Robin's tone turned steely. _Do it!_

Seeing M'gann's slight nod, Robin send a thought to the team standing next to them. It was obvious that they were just as shocked as his team was at the appearance of Nick Fury. _Moment of truth guys, are you with us, or against us?_

The last thing Robin saw before he launched himself at the nearest man in black was the wide eyes of the Avengers. He really wished that they had given him his belt back.

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 **A/N: So...what did you think? Please review and let me know what you think!**


	36. Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 5)

**Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 5)**

Robin cackled. He probably shouldn't be enjoying people trying to kill him as much as he was, but it was exhilarating. He was fighting with only his wits, as he was missing his belt. Throwing scalpels, rubbing alcohol to the eyes, and pinching nerve points, he was incapacitating his enemies with only what he had on hand.

His team was also doing unbelievably well, considering that Kaldur was missing his water bearers, and Artemis her bow. They were doing the best they could, despite the fact that they were at a severe disadvantage. Not to mention, a confined space, in a building that would collapse if Bruce Banner or Conner decided to throw a punch. Speaking of the Avengers, he really wished that they would hurry up and decide what side they were on. Robin didn't like not knowing who his allies were.

Hearing his name being called, Robin turned just in time to catch the gun being tossed at him. Seeing Natasha looking at him, Robin gave the gun a look of disgust before tossing it back. "I don't do guns. Anything else in your arsenal that you're willing to separate with?"

The Black Widow shrugged before tossing him a grappling line. Robin smirked. "Sweet" Before immediately disappearing in the rafters. She had unknowingly given him a secret weapon. Taking a minute to absorb the battle, he watched as Clint Barton gave Artemis his spare bow. She took a minute to test it out before she too smirked.

Robin used the line to appear suddenly over his enemies and drag them into the rafters where they were knocked out. Watching as more and more soldiers came in through the windows, Robin knew they needed to retreat. Live to fight another day and all that. They just needed to create a big enough distraction to leave unnoticed. And there was also the small problem of needed Tony at the very least to come with them.

Mentally sharing his thoughts, Robin continued to take out soldiers. There was a giant roar, and Robin looked over to see what looked like an inhibitor collar put on Thor, Banner, and Conner. They appeared to be trying to corner Captain America next. Robin knew they had to do something. If he had his gloves, he would pick the locks on the collars, but for now, he had to settle for the next best thing.

Jumping down, Robin knocked out the people next to Thor's hammer. There was no way that he could risk one of them being 'worthy' of the hammer. In all likelihood, none of them would be as they had undoubtedly done horrible things in their lives. But hadn't they all?

Robin used the handle of the hammer as a post as he swung his legs out and knocked over all the men within kicking distance. Flipping himself up, he realized that the hammer had gone with him. Giving a mischievous smirk, Robin muttered, "Asterous" before swinging Mjolnir at the surrounding soldiers. _Tony! We need to leave! Can you get our stuff while I go and borrow Fury's helicopter?_

Without waiting for a response, Robin charged out of the building and launched himself at the helicopter. Hopefully, M'gann would catch him if he fell because he left Natasha's grappling line inside.

Landing, thankfully, gracefully within the helicopter, Robin immediately took a swing at Fury with Thor's hammer. The thing was surprisingly well balanced considering it was way too big for him. Robin took a moment to thank Batman for making him train with unconventional weapons.

Fury was no slouch though. The man launched a well coordinated attack on him that made him feel as if he was fighting Batman. Thankfully, his Batman was better. Catching a punch under his arm, Robin swung his other elbow up hard, hitting the man in the chin. Then he brought that same elbow down hard on the arm he was still holding. Fury let out a loud cry as his arm broke, and Robin grabbed a parachute and quickly strapped the man in before yanking the ripcord.

Taking a moment to watch as the man was pulled violently out of the helicopter Robin debated whether or not the man would survive. In all likelihoods, a man like Fury would. There was no way that he would let it end with a thirteen year old besting him. Straightening, Robin turned to the pilot. "Your choice. You leave the easy way or the hard way."

Robin took the controls as the man hastily strapped on his own parachute before jumping out. Smirking, Robin sent a message to both teams. _Anyone who wants to leave is more than welcome to join me in the helicopter. I can get the collars off as soon as we're safe. Tony, I assume you have a secret base somewhere, not to mention somewhere we can ditch this nice helicopter._

Robin kept the controls steady while both teams jumped or flew onto the helicopter. Sighing in relief when he saw his belt, Artemis' bow, and Kaldur's water bearers in Tony's hands, Robin slowly allowed the helicopter to gain altitude. They needed to leave quickly before Fury gave the orders to take down the helicopter. Robin didn't doubt that he would, even with his own team on board.

"Where am I going, Tony? We need to ditch this bird quickly."

"Manhattan. I stashed some emergency supplies with our friendly neighborhood Spiderman. From there, we go to the Sierra Nevada. I have an emergency crash pad built into one of the mountains. Undetectable unless you know where it is."

Robin cracked his neck. This was certainly going to be a long day. "Does someone else know how to fly? I'm sure that it would be appreciated if I can get those collars off. And I could really use some help fixing the stitches I popped. And a nap. I could really use a nap."

Tony took the controls while Natasha, quickly and effectively restitched the open wounds on Robin's back. Robin couldn't help but wince. They didn't have any anesthetic, and he had received quite the disapproving look when he had reached for the whiskey that a soldier must have brought on the helicopter.

As soon as his torso was bandaged again, Robin grabbed his gloves and took out his lock picks. Studying the collar, Robin murmured, "I've never seen a lock quite like this."

"Does that mean you can't pick it?" Hawkeye asked with a raised eyebrow.

Robin gave the man a blinding grin. "No. It just means that I get to have fun trying to figure it out."

It took Robin fifteen minutes to pick the first collar. After that, it was easy. He picked the next one in five, and the last in only three minutes. Batman would've raised an eyebrow at how slow he was, but he wanted to be careful. For all he knew the collars might kill someone if he made the wrong move.

Robin watched in indignant amusement as Thor immediately called Mjolnir to him and started to inspect the hammer as if Robin had somehow tarnished it. Finally he spoke. "On Earth, only Captain America is considered worthy enough to wield Mjolnir. Until today that is. Yet you seemed shocked. Why? Do you not consider yourself worthy?"

Robin looked down at his hands. "There are a lot of people I couldn't save. There are times that I let my anger get the best of me. And there are times where I questioned myself and my motives. I don't know why Mjolnir decided that I was worthy, but I will do my best to live up to that."

Closing his eyes, Robin muttered tiredly, "When you said Spiderman, you were referring to Peter Parker, the teen hero right? He was bitten by the radioactive spider and now patrols the streets of Manhattan to protect innocents."

Trading places with Natasha, Tony rubbed a hand down his face. "I have got to get better security."

###

The rest of the ride was spent in relative silence as the heroes slept. It was going to be a long day. They had to find Spiderman without compromising themselves, and then make it all the way across the country without being caught. And then there was the small fact that Batman was was probably freaking out at this moment, and Robin had no way to get a hold of him and tell him that he was okay.

Robin napped fitfully. He needed to know that Batman was okay just as badly as the man needed to know that he was. Maybe he could talk to Tony about sending a message to Batman. It would probably be easier than sending actual people. Rubbing a secret compartment in his glove, Robin knew that he was touching Bruce's face in the photo of the man carrying Dick on his shoulders. Alfred had sneakily taken the photo when neither of them were paying attention. Now both Dick and Bruce pretended that they didn't know the other carried the photo somewhere on their person.

Dick almost wished that the both of them had an easier time vocalizing their feelings. Steeling his resolve, Dick decided that they would work on that. Together. Just as soon as he made it home. And he would make it home. He'd stake his inheritance on it.

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 **A/N: Hope the fight scene lived up to expectations! RoseVered suggested the team meet Spiderman and that Robin could lift Thor's hammer, so big thank you to you! Anyways...hoped you liked it. As always, please leave a review!**


	37. Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 6)

**Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 6)**

Robin woke up to the feeling of the helicopter landing. Sitting up, he gave his equipment a quick check over before making sure that everyone around him was awake. It looked like they were in Manhattan. Now they just had to find Peter Parker without being arrested or shot.

Robin wasn't sure how much they could trust the Avengers. This could still be some sort of elaborate set up. Batman had arranged similar set ups before. But they needed them, so he had to go along with it, even if it was a trap.

Jumping off the helicopter, Robin stretched. Feeling eyes on him, Robin stood up straight from where he was bent backwards and touching his heels. "What? Haven't you ever seen someone stretch before?"

Tony blinked. "Not like that kid."

Robin shrugged. They didn't have the time to discuss his flexibility of all things. "Any way we can hide the helicopter? It would be nice if they only found it after we left. M'gann, if you could please go shopping again. For all of us. You have my card. Make sure to get some hats."

M'gann nodded, and to the amazement of the Avengers, changed her appearance completely until she looked like one of her cheerleader friends.

Tony cleared his throat. "That's useful. Here. Take my credit card."

M'gann was reaching for it when Robin grabbed it and handed it to Natasha. "Don't let him be an idiot." Seeing Tony's offended look, Robin rolled his eyes. "Fury will be tracking all of your credit cards. I rather not use mine, but RJ Johnson doesn't exist in my world let alone this one. It's not likely that he will be able to track it back to us. Unlike yours, which will be a giant red flag."

Nodding to M'gann, the girl took off to find the nearest department store. Turning back to everyone else, Robin frowned. "Now seriously. Does anyone have any idea how to hide this thing."

###

They ended up taking it apart. Well, kind of taking it apart. They took it apart enough that it wouldn't start, let alone fly, and no longer looked like a helicopter. Tony also used his suit to destroy any method of identifying the helicopter. Robin knew that it would only slow Fury down slightly, but he hoped that it was enough for them to escape cleanly.

Luckily for them, M'gann arrived just as they were finishing. Robin winced at the Captain America shirt that she had gotten him. He knew that Batman would hate that he was wearing another hero's insignia, especially one that so closely resembled Superman in colors and personality. He would never tell Batman, but he found the older man's insecurity and jealousy cute.

Shaking his head, Robin told himself to focus. Now was not the time, or the place to be thinking about this. "So. It's three o'clock on a Friday. Where exactly will we be finding Mr. Parker?"

###

Peter sighed as he entered his house. It had been a very long day at school, and he was glad that he was home. Maybe he could relax for a while before attempting to take on the massive pile of work that his teachers had been considerate enough to give him. It's not like he had a secret double life as a superhero or something.

Grabbing an apple from the kitchen, Peter bounded up the stairs to his room. Opening the door, he received the shock of a lifetime. There, sat the Avengers and a group of teenagers. Tony and one of the teenagers, sat at and on his desk respectively, like they owned the place. The rest at least looked somewhat uncomfortable at invading his personal space without his permission.

The boy jumped off of his desk and circled Peter with his hand on his chin. "Huh. Thought you would be, I don't know, bigger? More imposing? Your file makes you seem a lot more impressive than you look."

Who the hell was this kid? And who was he to judge him? One of the other teenagers spoke up for him. "Dude. You're one to talk. Aren't you the one that complained that villains were always saying that they thought you were older when they met you?"

The boy sniffed indignantly. "That was when I was eight. Obviously their delicate egos would not allow them to believe they were getting their asses kicked by a child. I mean what did they expect? In Gotham, even babies need to learn how to be badass if they want to survive."

Peter tried in vain to hide his shock. Who in their right mind was letting an eight year old fight? He had gotten flack from Tony for being a hero and he was in high school! The boy seemed to hear his thoughts because he turned to face him and offered a hand. "My name's Robin. Long story short, we're from another Earth, and we need your help to get home."

###

Peter's head was swimming as he led the two teams to an old abandoned hangar. The teens were from a place where there were no Avengers but instead some sort of Justice League. And they had convinced the Avengers that they were just scared when they blew a hole in the Helicarrier. And then there was the fact that the little one, _Robin,_ was not only worthy of Thor's hammer, but had literally tossed Fury out of a helicopter so that they could escape.

Looking at the boy, Peter watched at the grace the boy exuded while walking. He was obviously in tune with his body, and Peter couldn't help but wonder what else the guy could do when feeling pressured. Something told him that it would not be pretty. That he should make sure that he stayed on the guy's good side. If he had one.

The other teenagers lacked the same confidence in their movements, but he could see the power behind each of them. They were a powerful group, and he was glad that he was not fighting them, but rather helping them. He was not as pleased that the only help that they wanted was the stash of cash and emergency transport and supplies that Tony had asked him to hide months earlier.

At the same time, he honestly didn't know how much help he could be. Or that he necessarily wanted to. Fury couldn't necessarily shut down the Avengers, but he could certainly shut down Spiderman. He was too small a fry to purposely disobey Fury with no real fear of repercussions. Maybe that's what made him different from the teens too. Robin had animatedly told them the story about how the team was formed. How they had told their mentors to "Get on board, or get out of our way." He wasn't ready to do that yet. But when he was, he had the feeling he would be ready for the big leagues.

Nodding his head, at a gap in the boards, Peter watched as the two teams filed in. Captain America and Thor had a problem squeezing through the narrow entrance, but otherwise there were no problems getting in.

Peter watched in amusement as Robin grinned and headed to the large cloaked machine in the center of the hangar. Pulling the sheet off, Robin carefully examined the helicopter. "A Halo. Nice. Will the fact that it has Stark Industries painted across the side of it be problematic?"

Tony walked up next to him, and the two started talking about something animatedly. Peter walked over where the other teenagers were standing. Gesturing towards Robin, Peter asked, "He fly often?"

The redhead, _Wally_ , shrugged. "I don't actually know. I knew that Rob likes to fly planes, but I never knew that he knew how to fly a helicopter too. Doesn't surprise me though. He is amazing on a motorcycle, and don't get me started on street racing. Oh and jet skis."

Peter's eyebrows furrowed. "Why wouldn't you know? I thought he was your friend?"

They seemed to all share a sad smile before Wally spoke again, "Look. I know the guy better than most, but his secrets have secrets. If anyone knew them all, it would be Batman."

Peter frowned slightly. That sounded sad. And lonely. "And Batman's his dad?"

M'gann clapped her hands. "Robin called him 'Dad' once in front of us. He seemed quite embarrassed afterwards like he didn't want us to know."

Wally shook his head slightly chuckling. "That was like accidently calling your teacher your mom. I've been around both for years, and I still don't know how to classify their relationship. I'm pretty sure that Rob will tell us as soon as he figures out exactly who Batman is to him."

Peter studied the team and realized that they were just as confused as he was by the last comment. Then again, it really was none of his business. "So he's your leader or something?"

This caused a frown to break out across the face of each of the team members. Finally Kaldur spoke up. "Normally I act as leader for the team. Robin is usually more immature than this, and we felt it best that I be leader until he is ready. However, Robin suggested that he act as temporary leader as he has the most experience and we did not know how to properly avoid detection while gaining the resources needed to go back home."

Peter nodded. From what he had gathered, the kid was crazy smart. Outmaneuvering Fury twice proved that. Most people were not able to do it once, let alone twice. And if his mentor was anything like him, he pitied their world. There was only so much evil genius a world could take. Even if said evil geniuses were actually heroes.

Robin turned to the team. "Kid Mouth, load up all the emergency food rations you can find. This is going to be a long flight, and I would like you to live through it."

Wally zipped through the room and loaded food in the helicopter. Peter turned to see that Robin had approached until he was standing right in front of him. "Thank you Peter for your help. If you ever find yourself in a world with a Justice League, call this number. Tell them Robin owes you one." Robin's voice dropped slightly, and Peter felt himself strain to hear the boy. "I don't ever say those words lightly. But I will help you out if you find yourself in our world. Even if I have to go against the whole Justice League."

Peter blinked and shook the boy's hand. A thank you wouldn't be enough to pay the boy back for that gift. He hadn't done anything worthy of receiving it though. All he had done was bring them to where he had hidden Tony's stuff. Perhaps the boy was thanking him for what was to come. Fury would undoubtedly question him. It was only a matter a time.

But as he watched Tony open the top of the hangar, and Robin and the Black Widow climb into the pilot's seats, Peter knew that he would lie for them. Consequences be damned. They had trusted him to help them without Fury, and he would keep that trust. Not that he could actually help Fury much. He had no idea where they were going, and the helicopter they were using looked like hundreds of others that were being used to tour the country and bring supplies to catastrophe victims.

Waving goodbye, Peter stepped out of the old hangar and disappeared into the streets of Manhattan. He had his own city to protect.

###

Fury growled at the upside down teen in front of him. When he had requested a meet with Spiderman, he had hoped that the man would at least give him the time of day to get off of his damn web and talk to him face to mask.

"Where did they go Parker?"

"Where did who go, Boss?"

Fury just knew that the teen had a cheeky grin on his face. "The Avengers. They're aiding and abetting fugitives!"

As the boy prattled on about seeing so many people wearing Avenger costumes these days, Fury scratched at the hard cast on his arm. Not only was it broken, but the boy had also dislocated his shoulder, which meant that he also had to wear a sling. That damn boy had gotten the jump on him, but it would never happen again. It had surprised him that the boy had strapped him into a parachute before sending him out of the helicopter. He could have easily killed him, but he hadn't.

Gesturing to his arm angrily, Fury bellowed, "Those teenagers are dangerous! Look what that boy did before pushing me out of my own damn helicopter! And that was without weapons!"

Peter flipped onto his feet. Poking at the cast, he looked up. "You let a thirteen year old do that to you?"

"How do you know his age?"

Peter was never so glad that he was wearing a mask before in his life. "I guessed. His photos are everywhere. You know that he's smirking in them? It was like he knew that that was the photo you were using for his wanted poster!"

Fury growled louder and Peter held up his hands. Slinging a web up to the nearest rooftop, Peter asked, "There was a picture of him wielding Thor's hammer. That means that he has to be worthy. Ever stop to think that they're not villains?"

Peter pulled himself to the top of the building. He was definitely not going to stick around long enough for Fury to answer that question. The man would probably not be appreciative of being questioned by him of all people. Peter shrugged to himself before launching himself to the next building. If he had learned anything from their mysterious guests from an alternate universe, it was that sometimes it was okay to question authority. Sometimes it was even necessary.

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 **Okay...so one or two more chapters...I think.**

 **QUESTION: What would you guys like to see as the next prompt?**


	38. Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 7)

**Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 7)**

Robin yawned. Traveling across the country in a helicopter really sucked. Royally. Especially when Wally pretty much ate all the food in the first hour. It was really inconvenient that he was a nervous eater. It meant that nobody else got food when they wanted it.

Maybe Batman was right and he needed to sleep more. He wouldn't have nearly as much to complain about if he was asleep. Granted, he would also be plagued by nightmares. There was just no way to win.

Shifting, Robin stared out the window. They were over Nevada now. They would be at their destination soon. Then it was only a matter of figuring out which Earth they were from and how to get there.

Robin closed his eyes again. It was too much. He needed to go home. He needed everything to be okay again. He needed Bruce. He needed his dad. Listening to the loud bickering of his teammates, Robin allowed himself to slowly drift off to sleep.

###

Robin woke up to the sight of the mountain literally opening up and swallowing the helicopter. Unfortunately, that was not in the top ten weirdest things that Robin had seen in the week yet alone the year. Number one of course being listening to Bruce sing in the shower.

Deciding that he did not like where his thoughts were headed, Robin shook his head and stood up. It was time to figure out where they were and how to get home. He was telling the truth before. It would not be pretty if Bruce came before they could get home. Especially when he found out Fury had ordered his men to kill them if they tried to escape. If Fury thought he was dangerous, he needed to meet Daddybats. There was a reason he was feared by everyone in the Justice League, and it wasn't because he growled a lot.

Sighing, Robin once again shook his head, forcefully trying to extract all thoughts of Bruce. Not that it worked. If anything, it made it worse. But he had to focus. If he didn't, he would never see Bruce again. In the back of his mind he knew that his thoughts kept going back to the man because he missed him. But to admit that to anyone, even himself felt dangerous. He wasn't ready to lose another father. And Bruce tended to run into danger without thinking about his own personal safety.

Exiting the helicopter, Robin made a move to follow Tony. Maybe the multiverse theory and finding out which Earth he belonged to would take his mind off of his mentor. His very grumpy, intimidating, gentle, and caring mentor.

###

Artemis was bored. They were essentially fugitives, and they were stuck in a mountain in the middle of nowhere. Granted, Robin was working with Tony to get them home, but that didn't exactly help her current situation. Knowing the troll, he probably had a transporter in his belt and was awaiting the best moment to use it.

She felt bad immediately after thinking it. Robin had really stepped up for them on this mission, if they could call it that. He had taken charge when the rest of them were too scared to think straight. And to top it off, he had been oddly serious the whole time. Sure there had been the inappropriate quips, and the the odd cackle, but he had yet to disappear, and he exuded authority in a way Aqualad never had. Like no one in the Justice League did besides Batman. Perhaps he was the reason the Avengers took them seriously. He acted like a real hero, and unlike Booster Gold, he was not all talk. He had the skills to back him up.

Observing the room, Artemis observed that many of the Avengers were cleaning their weapons. Stiffening slightly, she watched as the female assassin version of Robin approached. The Black Widow. Or at least that was what Robin had called her. She couldn't remember what her given name was, and Artemis found herself wondering why she even cared. It was not like they would be around much longer.

Artemis eyed the woman as she sat down next to her. They sat in silence for a moment before the Black Widow finally spoke. Nodding towards Robin, she asked, "What's his story?"

Artemis raised one eyebrow. "Even if I did know, why would I tell you?"

The woman raised one shoulder nonchalantly. "I'm just wondering if I need to watch my back when in battle. He refused a gun, and strategically speaking he should have killed Fury."

"Doesn't your world need Fury?"

"Sure. But if he dies, another would just take his place. And I doubt that this world's safety was what was on his mind. It was natural for him to make sure Fury lived."

Artemis hunched her shoulders slightly. Her stomach churned as if she was betraying Robin by having this conversation. Lowering her voice slightly, she said, "Look. I don't know anything concrete, but rumor in Gotham is that the Bat Clan has a no kill rule. And I'm pretty sure that they have something against guns too. But that's just a personal theory due to the fact that I've never seen either of them use one."

The woman nodded slightly, and Artemis looked down at her interlaced fingers. She wondered how mad Robin would be that she revealed that information. Knowing the boy, he would either not care or go apocalyptic. Or perhaps it was Batman that would go apocalyptic. She wondered why their identities were such a big secret. It wasn't like they were Bruce Wayne and his son or something.

###

Robin bristled. Someone was definitely thinking about him being Richard Grayson. Tony looked down at him with a confused frown and Robin shook his head and offered a weak smile in return. There were more important things at stake here than his secret identity. Even if he would be grounded for life if the team found out who he was.

Focusing on the screen, Robin suddenly snapped his fingers in excitement. "This isn't getting us anywhere!"

Tony frowned. "No kidding kid. No need to get so excited."

Robin grinned. "What if we can backtrace a signal across the multiverse?"

"What do you mean? Like your computer? I thought you said it worked here. I don't think we can backtrace it."

Robin shook his head in excitement. Digging through his belt, Robin took out what looked like a piece of lint. "It's a tracker. Batman keeps putting them on me. I guess we're lucky he put it in the belt and not my uniform, because I abandoned that awhile ago."

Tony blinked and scanned it into the computer, pulling up the specs immediately. "This is amazing. I can see why you wouldn't notice it."

Robin snorted indignantly. "Please. I noticed the second he put it there, but he worries so I let him think think that I don't."

Tony nodded, not really understanding but deciding to rather focus on the tracking device. "Okay. So if I can backtrace the point of origin on this tracker, we can find which Earth is yours. And by I, I mean JARVIS."

"I shall do my best, Sir."

Robin looked around and murmured to himself. "JARVIS is like a computer version of Agent A. Always there, knows what you want before you do, the definition of helpful. But Agent A makes cookies. I wonder how B would feel about testing to see if he was a robot. We already tested him for a metagene."

Tony gave the boy a strange look. He was muttering to himself, but he couldn't find the heart to stop him. Something told him that despite the tough act that he had going on, he was just a kid missing his home.

"Sir. I do believe I've found the location you were looking for. It belongs to a city that does not exist on our map. Gotham."

Robin perked up, as did the rest of both teams. "That would be the right place JARVIS. Can you tell us which Earth it is on proximal to this one?"

"According to the data collected, this is Earth 616 and the tracker's origin point is Earth 16."

Robin cracked his neck and then moved to stretch his arms and back. "Well guys. Looks like we have our destination. Now we just need to figure out how to get there. Wally, were going to need you for this one. I'll help Tony with programming a cross multiverse zeta beam. You build the machine." Seeing Wally's raised eyebrows, Robin rolled his eyes. "I have the specs. I stole them from the Batcomputer a few weeks ago. Never know when you'll need something like that. Good thing too, huh?"

Turning to the rest of the team, Robin smirked. "Help Wally however you guys can. He's not very strong so I'm sure that any heavy lifting you can do will help." Ignoring Wally's annoyed cry, Robin turned to face the computer. "We're going home guys. I'd bet the Batmobile on it."

Wally blinked. "You must be really confident. Batman will not take you betting his precious car lightly."

Robin laughed as Artemis smacked Wally and yelled at him for ruining the moment. He didn't really think that Wally had, he had just made the mood lighter, and that was not a bad thing. They had been far too tense since arriving at this Earth. For the first time, the whole team believed that everything was going to be okay. For the first time, Robin truly believed it too.

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 **A/N: So I looked up which Earth Marvel was on and Young Justice. Thank you google. So pretty sure that the next chapter will be the last. Should I add another confrontation with Fury? Please review!**


	39. Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 8)

**Multiverse Travel Sucks (Part 8)**

Robin wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead. Making a cross multiverse transportation device was way more challenging than he had originally thought. And despite the good intentions of the team, they were more in the way than anything else. His own excitement and impatience didn't do him any favors either. If anything, it just made him a bigger pain to be around. Not that he would ever admit to being annoying.

The point was that they were not getting anywhere in the pursuit of creating a way home. Robin felt his carefully constructed mask slipping. He had to stay calm for the team. Even if he was feeling anything but.

Feeling the tension in the room start to heighten between the two teams, Robin made an executive decision. "Let's take a break guys. We can start again in an hour." It wouldn't do them any good if the teams tried to kill each other before they could get home.

Robin headed to the small kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. From there, he walked to the small gym and went straight to the punching bag. Putting the water down, Robin went and grabbed some athletic tape.

Expertly, Robin wrapped his wrists and knuckles. Walking back to the punching bag, Robin hit the bag hard. It was relaxing. Soothing. Robin hit it again. And again. And again.

Finally, he pulled away sweating and panting. He watched as the bag swung slightly, before sand started to pour out. Swearing angrily, Robin kicked at the sand. Then he fell to his knees and began to sweep the sand into a neat pile. Not that it did much, the sand was still pouring out of the bag.

That was where Kid Flash found him. Kneeling by his side, the redhead was uncharacteristically quiet as he wrapped a supporting arm around Robin's shoulders. Robin took a moment to soak up the comfort before standing up. Brushing the sand off of his costume, Robin straightened his shoulders. He had work to do.

###

Robin excitedly danced around the machine they had built. It had taken seven hours, ten bathroom breaks, four snack breaks, and two 'let's separate so we don't kill each other' breaks, but they had finally done it. They had finally built a machine that in theory would bring them back home. The only problem now was testing it.

Kid Flash had been all but ready to test it out himself, when Robin yanked him back by the collar. It was too risky. They had no idea whether or not they had the right coordinates let alone that they would survive the trip. So Robin suggested that they send a note first.

Taking a second, Robin thought about what to write. Deciding that reassuring his very over protective mentor was a priority, Robin scrawled:

 **B―**

 **We're safe and feeling the aster. Don't worry and listen to Agent A and Supes. There is no need to do anything rash. We'll find our way back. I promise. You can't get rid of me that easily.**

― **R**

Robin knew that the note would do nothing to really soothe his mentor, but he was hoping that it might buy them a little more time. Placing the note on the machine, he watched as it disappeared in a bright white light.

Frowning slightly, Robin asked what should've been an obvious question. "How will we know whether or not the note made it to our Earth let alone our mentors in one piece?"

Robin watched as everyone facepalmed. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who forgot the obvious.

###

Robin was eating popcorn as the teams discussed the best way to test the machine without endangering anyone. So far, the conversation had amounted to nothing, so Robin was enjoying a nice snack. He was pretty hungry and the conversation wasn't really going anywhere, so why not?

That is of course, when the world exploded again.

###

Robin tumbled to a crouched position. Fury had entered on a rappelling lines along with a dozen soldiers who were all pointing semiautomatic weapons at them. Of freaking course. Both teams were crouched down low and ready to attack. Robin thought that they looked like panthers. Sleek and deadly. Only problem was, at this proximity, if anyone made a move, at least three people would be shot, and multiple soldiers would die.

Robin made a show of straightening. Holding his hands up in the air, Robin squinted at Fury. Smirking at what he saw, Robin slowly lowered his hands. "So Peter actually put you in your place. I was hoping that saying that I owed him would give him the courage, but I figured that it was still fifty-fifty. Are you still considering us a security threat? Because if this standoff were to turn into a battle, at least seven people will be grievously injured if not killed. And I think you know how I feel about killing. It's kind of against my moral code."

Fury snarled slightly, but put a hand up. Immediately, all the gunmen lowered their weapons. Robin noted that they kept the guns in their hands though. Fury walked up to him, and Robin straightened his back. He would not cower in front of this man. "I assume you have a good reason for attacking me."

Lips quirking slightly, Robin crossed his arms over his chest. "You were in my way."

Seeing the unamused look on the man in front of him, Robin frowned slightly. Guess he was no nonsense. Like Batman. "Your naturally suspicious and assume the worst. I can respect that. But you are also set in your opinions. You decided that we were villains from the very beginning, there was no way to change your mind. We needed help to get back to our world. I wasn't waiting for some pig-headed director of a government agency to vet us and change his mind."

Fury nodded kertly. "You figure out a way to get to your world yet?"

Robin heard the unspoken 'and out of mine' quite clearly. Gesturing to the machine, Robin jerked his head. "That will take us to our world. Problem is testing whether or not it will work without endangering our own lives. We sent a note, but there's no way to tell who received it, and if it went to the right world to begin with."

Fury nodded and was about to say something when the world once again exploded.

###

Robin opened his eyes to see Batman and the original Justice League crouched on the ground. Seeing that both the Avengers and the soldiers were getting ready to attack, Robin threw himself in front of them. "Wait! They're the good guys from our Earth! Don't attack!"

Seeing that everyone was slowly lowering their weapons and his team was making an effort to smooth things out, Robin turned around and faced his mentor.

Batman scanned him for injuries and Robin could see that the man desperately wanted to know what had happened since Robin had arrived and where his costume was. The man finally seemed appeased by the lack of discernible injuries. Robin decided not to mention his stitches until a later time where Batman couldn't take his frustration out on Superman. Finally Batman held up a piece of crumpled paper. "I got your note."

Robin couldn't help but laugh. Nobody could else would know that Batman had just made a joke, but he did. And judging by the miniscule twitch of his lips, Batman thought he was pretty funny. Or he was happy that he made Robin laugh. Probably a combination of both.

Robin shook his head still chuckling. Turning around he faced everyone else in the room. "Let's sit down so that we can discuss what's going on. I'm sure my mentor wants to be debriefed."

###

It was a really awkward debriefing. Everybody had opinions to add, and had their own side of their stories. Robin had just finished explaining how he had negotiated the help of the Avengers. He wanted to say 'like a boss' but figured it wasn't appropriate. Bruce gave him a side eye like he knew what Dick was thinking, and offered a silent thumbsup from under his cape.

He had started to explain how Furry had arrived, tactfully skipping over the part where he ordered the soldiers to kill them if they tried to escape. Apparently, Wally had never heard of tact, because he added, "Dude. You forgot the part where he ordered the soldiers to kill us."

Robin didn't have time to process what an idiot Wally was before his mentor was up out of his seat and had knocked Furry out with a swift blow to the face. He didn't respond to anyone's shocked looks, but instead moved so his was once again seated by Robin. Robin laid a calming hand on Batman's arm and squeezed gently. He was okay. Batman placed a heavy hand on his head in response. Robin knew that that was his way of confirming Robin's safety.

The moment was interrupted when Flash coughed and said, "Pay up Green Arrow. I told you that Batman would go Daddybats at some point. I want my ten bucks."

Green Arrow grumbled before pulling a ten dollar bill from his quiver. "Really Bats? You couldn't control yourself? We are guests on this Earth after all."

Batman eyes narrowed into his signature glare. Green Arrow gulped comically before inching back slightly. Finally Batman growled, "You're hardly the role model for self control Arrow."

Knowing that things could get ugly fast, Robin leaned a little into Batman's side. Batman relaxed slightly, already distracted from the conversation. Green Arrow better not say that he's never done anything nice for him.

Hearing Fury groan and make a move to sit up, Robin hurriedly said, "Don't worry B, I made him regret it! Who'd you think broke his arm? And I kicked him out of his own helicopter! It was poetic really."

Robin continued to tell their harrowing tale, only stopping after describing the Justice League's arrival. Fury picked up the story, telling both team's he had tracked all of the Stark helos over satellite and had watched as one was literally swallowed by the mountain. From there it was only a matter of assembling a team willing to go up against the Avengers and a team of superpowered teenagers.

Seeing that Batman wasn't going to talk, Superman started to tell the story of how Batman had arrived to find the cave empty. From there, he had called in the rest of the League, and activated Robin's tracker. Seeing that it was in another multiverse, Batman had quickly figured out that it was Wally's souvenir that transported them. From there, it was simply a matter of reverse engineering it so that once they arrived at the alternate Earth, they's have a way back. They had received the note as they were preparing to leave, but at that point, Batman was determined to go, and the rest of the team wanted to watch his back and save their partners.

Which led them to where they were now. Robin cleared his throat. "We were able to backtrace the tracker, but we didn't have the original machine to go on. You guys had it easy."

Batman nudged him slightly, which Robin took as the man expressing his amusement. Robin nudged him back. And the two started to have a silent debate. It was Fury who broke the silence. "I assume you guys have a way to get home?"

Superman nodded and extended a hand towards Fury. "We do. Thank you for your assistance."

Robin wasn't really sure what Superman was thanking Fury for, but chose to ignore it. Offering his own hand to the Avengers, Robin said, "I would offer you guys the same thing I offered Peter, but I don't think it would do you any good. You guys would figure it out on your own."

Tony smirked and shook his hand. "Even though we would be fine, we'll still hit you up. Say hi and all that."

Robin said goodbye to everyone else. Looking up, Robin called out, "Give me one last quote JARVIS?"

Silence rang out for a moment before the AI said, "No problem at all. But I can't speak for the dog."

Batman frowned. "I said that, didn't I?"

Robin grinned. "I told you that I set JARVIS to play your greatest hits."

JARVIS made a snorting noise. "On a reporter's salary? Right."

Robin burst into a giggling fit. "Thank you JARVIS. You can stop now. I don't think Batman would appreciate it if you said any quotes that alluded to him being fatherly or nice. Or human for that matter."

Batman steered Robin away by pulling on his cape. Only the two Supers heard the man mutter, "What am I going to do with you Chum?"

Robin waved cheerily as both teams disappeared in a bright light. The Avengers shared an amused look before Tony burst out laughing. Pointing at Fury, he said, "I can't believe Daddybats punched him in the face!"

Captain America rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm just glad that we don't live on that world. Robin was bad enough, but can you imagine two of them?"

Hawkeye turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's obvious that the man is just as smart as Robin. And Robin had to get his skills from somewhere, not to mention the personality."

Tony blached. "Oh shit. Take Earth 16 off of my vacation plans JARVIS."

"Gladly Sir."

###

Dick sat on the bed in the medical room of the Batcave. He winced as Alfred poked at the stitches on his back. After arriving at the mountain, the Bats were quick to leave. As soon as they were in the safety of the cave, Bruce demanded that Dick showed him the injury. Dick wasn't even sure how Bruce knew about it, but shrugged off his shirt without comment.

From there, Bruce had yelled for Alfred and ushered him into the medical room. Dick hadn't complained because he knew Bruce was worried, but after being poked for the fifth time, he was done.

Swatting at Alfred hands, Dick turned to Bruce. "I'm fine. I promise. Stop poking at me, it hurts more than the actual injury."

Seeing Bruce's glare, Dick sighed and slumped his shoulders, allowing Alfred to resume his poking. Finally, the butler seemed satisfied. Dick let out a sigh of relief as the butler moved away.

Smiling at Bruce, Dick watched as the man paced around the room like a caged tiger. Alfred tactfully retreated out of the room, and Dick couldn't help but hope that he was getting cookies. At this point, Alfred's cookies would be the best way to end the day. That and maybe a hug from Bruce. But that would be a lot harder to get than the cookies.

Suddenly, the man stopped pacing and strode purposefully towards Dick. "I could have lost you."

Dick gave him a small smile. He knew where the man was coming from. After all, how many times had he thought of him while trapped on the other Earth? "But you didn't. I'm not going anywhere Dad. I love you, and that won't change no matter what happens."

Bruce stilled. Dick briefly wondered if that was too much emotional stimuli. Bruce wasn't good at processing his feelings. His thoughts were cut off when he abruptly felt the man's shoulder in his neck. It took embarrassingly long to realize that Bruce was hugging him. Probably because in the past, Dick was always the one to initiate intimate physical contact. Bruce would willingly pat him on the head or back, but would never initiate a hug.

Dick hesitantly raised his arms and hugged the man back. This seemed to make the man hug him even tighter. Seeing that his ribs were about to crack, Dick started to squirm a little. Bruce took the hint and let go, even though Dick could tell he didn't want to.

"Thanks Chum. I needed to hear that. And so you know, I feel the same."

Dick raised his eyebrow in a silent challenge. Bruce hardly ever said the 'L' word. It really would be the best day ever if he could finagle it out of him now. Bruce took the bait, but the look he sent Dick told him that the man knew what he was doing. "I love you Chum. And that won't ever change."

Dick grinned widely. Jumping up from his seated position, he grabbed Bruce's hand and started to drag him up the stairs. "Come on Bruce! Let's get some cookies from Alfred and then watch a movie! I don't know about you, but I'm beat."

Bruce followed along chuckling his amusement. Dick smiled internally though. Bruce might pretend that Dick had coerced him into it, but he was dragging Dick by the time they made it to the den. Apparently, Dick's short legs weren't moving fast enough for him. Dick decided that he didn't care. Because sitting next to Bruce, watching some stupid movie with a tray of cookies sitting in front of them was the best feeling in the world.

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 **Bonus Scene:**

Peter looked around the dark city cautiously. Nobody was outside, which Peter thought was a very bad thing. He had woken up to the sensation of falling before landing in a trash bin. Now, he moved down the streets cautiously. He needed to find out where he was. And fast. Before someone tried to mug or kill him preferably.

Seeing a twenty four hour supermarket, Peter walked inside cautiously. The owner eyed him distrustfully, but made no comment. Grabbing a water, Peter was about to ask the name of the city when he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

Turning, he saw a picture of Robin on the front page of the local newspaper. Swearing, Peter patted down his pockets for his phone. Realizing he didn't have it, Peter was suddenly very glad that he had memorized the number that Robin had given him a full year prior.

Turning to the cashier, Peter offered a weak smile. "Is there a phone I can borrow. I forgot to call my aunt."

The cashier eyed him for a second before jerking his chin. "Payphone out back. I wouldn't use it though. At least not at this time, this being Crime Alley and all."

Peter offered his thanks and paid for the water. He was glad that he had managed to keep the five dollars in his pocket. He would have been screwed otherwise.

Making his way out back, Peter hesitantly approached the payphone. Entering a few coins, Peter dialed the number. He was almost embarrassed to admit that he chanted: _Pick up. Pick up. Pick up._

Finally, a groggy voice said, "Hello? You do realize it's four in the morning right?"

Well that was helpful to know. No wonder the cashier was so suspicious. What kid his age was out at four in the morning? "Um...sorry. My name is Peter Parker. Robin told me to call this number if I was ever in town. He said that he owed me one."

The voice was instantly more alert. "Spidey? Okay. Stay put, Bats and I will come and get you. Wait. Where are you exactly?"

Peter gulped. Was it just him or was that shadow moving? "Crime Alley."

Peter was not reassured by all the swear words Robin was saying. He was kind of impressed though that the kid knew that many and was that creative. Abruptly, Robin stopped swearing. "Get back inside the store. We'll come to you."

As the dial tone rang, Peter wondered whether or not he should be surprised that Robin knew that he was at the store. Probably not. The kid had wielded Thor's hammer. Nothing about him should be surprising.

Heading back inside, Peter raised a hand in greeting at the cashier, who did not look pleased that he was back. Quite the opposite actually. Buying a candy bar, Peter ate it in silence.

Five minutes passed and Peter was getting restless. As if hearing his struggle, a loud engine sounded around the corner before screeching to a halt outside the store.

Robin jumped out of the passenger seat and Peter could barely make out the shape of a giant man in black in the driver's seat before the door was slammed shut. Robin strutted into the store and walked straight up to the cashier where he gave the man a fist bump. "What's up Marcus? I'll take the usual."

Peter watched in amazement as Robin was handed a large cup of coffee and a few candy bars. Robin placed ten dollars on the counter despite the cashier's protests. Finally, the cashier gave in. "One day, it will be on the house Robin. As for my day, it's been uneventful. Until this guy came in. He's on edge which is making me on edge too."

Robin glanced over at him for the first time before offering a warm handshake. "No worries Marcus, he's cool. This is Peter, he helped me out a while back when I was in a jam. He's the reason I'm here. Called me and asked for help, otherwise I'd be asleep by now. I got school tomorrow."

The cashier, Marcus, shook his head, before making a shooing gesture. "Your dad is waiting out there."

Peter doubted that Marcus noticed, but at the word 'dad' Robin softened slightly and his lips quirked into the barest hint of a smile.

Robin started to usher Peter out the door, not spilling a single drop of the coffee. Opening the car door, Robin gestured for Peter to take the back seat. Robin then proceeded to hand Batman the coffee before the tires once again screeched and the car took off to a different part of Gotham.

Robin turned around slightly. "So. Guess you took me up on that offer, but no worries. We still have the machine that originally transported us in the Batcave. We'll get you home in no time."

Peter had two thoughts as the car raced to parts unknown. One. There was a Batcave? Did that mean they had actual bats? And two. Tony was going to be so jealous when he found out.

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 **A/N: I personally loved the ending. And aren't I great for including that bonus scene? Not to toot my own horn or anything. Anyways, let me know what you think, and let me know what you want to see next. As always, I'm very open to suggestions.**

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 **IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!**

 **I just wanted to let you know that this might be my last update on this story for about two weeks. And if there is another update, that will be the last one for that amount of time. I'm off to visit family in Austria and will not be bringing my laptop with me. I might work on my phone, but I really don't like it, so don't hold your breath. Anyways, I just wanted to let you guys know before I disappear off the face of the planet. Not to worry, I will be back soon!**


	40. How It All Began

**How It All Began**

Artemis was looking through the old files on the Justice League servers. If Batman were to ask, she would say that she was researching past adversaries to increase her knowledge for future battles. In reality, she was just really bored and hoped that there would be something interesting hidden in the files.

Finding an encrypted file, Artemis started to hack it. She didn't have the computer skills that Robin possessed, but she did have the hacking program that Robin had given her in case of emergencies. She would never tell him that she had once used it to get access to the chemistry test when she had no time to study. Although it was likely that he already knew.

Finally gaining access to the file, Artemis found it only contained a picture. Studying it closer, Artemis realized that it was a photo of a kid in a Batman costume. Eyes narrowing in confusion, Artemis downloaded the file and exited the room. There was only one person on the team guaranteed to know the story behind the photo. The only problem was getting him to talk.

###

Robin watched with slight amusement as Artemis tried to casually stroll into the room. Even if the cave's computer hadn't alerted him which file Artemis was hacking into, her demeanor would've given her away.

Deciding to mess with her a little, Robin stood up and stretched. "Well, this has been asterous, but I'm needed back in Gotham."

As expected, Artemis' eyes darted wildly before she seemed to calm herself slightly. "Wait. I have a question for you."

"Pour moi? It's not like you hacked League files using my code that I gave you and want me to explain what you found, right?"

Artemis twitched and Robin grinned manically. Sitting down, Robin spread his arms widely. "Come here my children, apparently it's story time."

Robin dutifully waited for his teammates to settle themselves around him. "Now what exactly did you find Artemis?"

Artemis rolled her eyes at the patronizing tone that Robin had taken on, but decided not to comment. The little troll was probably looking for an excuse not to tell the story.

Opening the file on her laptop, Artemis passed the photo around. "Why was that photo encrypted? And why does the League have it at all? And who is the kid?"

Artemis thought that Robin was not going to respond at all for a moment. He just stared at the photo with a soft smile on his face before murmuring, "I can't believe he kept this."

Shaking his head slightly, Robin smiled at the rest of the team. "That's a picture of me when I was eight. The League has it because this was the first time they met me. As for why it was encrypted, probably because they didn't want it to be common knowledge that an eight year old was able to trick them."

###

 _Robin stared at his mentor petulantly. There was no way he was staying in a locked room while Batman got to beat up bad guys. It wasn't going to happen. No way, no how._

 _Apparently, Batman didn't fight fair. Taking off his mask, he became his surrogate father and pleaded, "Please Chum. The rest of the League doesn't know you exist yet. I need you to stay in here where your safe while I go on the League mission. Agent A is out of town and I need to know your safe or I will be distracted. You stay in here like a good boy, and I promise that I will tell the League about you at the next meeting."_

 _Seeing Robin's unimpressed look, he hastily added, "And we'll get ice cream next time we're on patrol."_

 _Robin sighed. He couldn't fight the sound logic. Besides, there were probably a lot of cool toys in Batman's room. And he had his Batman pajamas on, with the cowl that Alfred had dutifully hand stitched, so it was technically his room to explore and play in._

 _Pretending to sound resigned, Robin pouted. "At least tell me who you're going on this mission with!"_

 _Robin praised himself as Batman obviously missed the fact that he was now excited for his mentor to leave. "The Hawks and John Stewart."_

 _Robin winced. "That's gonna suck B. I'm kinda glad I'm not going now. Maybe you can give them love advice."_

" _Not my thing Chum."_

" _That's not what Catwoman told me last week before you told me to check the perimeter. Again. We both know that I didn't really need to check."_

 _Batman sighed but didn't comment. He did not have time to have that debate for the fifteenth time. "Just stay in here Chum. And stay out of trouble. If you do, we'll get that ice cream. Oh and don't get hurt. Call for any emergencies. And..."_

" _Alright DAD. I got it. Just go on your mission already."_

 _Robin watched with a small smile as Batman left the room affectionately calling him a brat before he left. Now. To find out what kind of secrets this room held._

 _###_

 _Robin was in the middle of reassembling the computer he had taken apart when Green Arrow strolled into the room. Experiencing a moment of panic, Robin forced himself to calm down. Green Arrow was not supposed to know that he existed. He just had to lie his way out of the situation. Easy really. If he could lie to Batman, then he could definitely lie to Green Arrow._

 _Robin was surprised by the fact that Green Arrow did not notice him as he began to root around the files on Batman's desk. Glancing down at himself, a devious idea started to trickle through his mind._

 _Standing up, Robin straightened his shoulders and lowered his voice to mimic his mentor's. "Arrow. What do you think you're doing? I assume you have a logical explanation for this?"_

 _Robin watched in delight as Green Arrow jumped before hastily turning to him and sprouting some sort of nonsense excuse. It took him way longer than expected to notice the fact that Batman was not in fact taller than him, but rather quite small and only eight._

" _Uh, Bats? What's wrong with you?"_

 _Robin rolled his eyes. How could this guy be a hero? He assumed that he was Batman and not an imposter! "A new villain in Gotham made me a kid again. I was hoping to make myself an adult again discretely."_

 _Apparently, Green Arrow didn't know the meaning of discrete, because he picked Robin up under the arms and ran through the halls of the Watch Tower yelling, "What do we do? Batman's a kid again!"_

 _Robin took a moment to appreciate that Batman never once carried him like this. For a man who proclaimed himself to be awkward with children, he was way more adept to be a father than Green Arrow. Besides, he was eight, and therefore more than capable of walking. Even if he sometimes pretended to be asleep so that Batman would carry him to bed._

 _Rejoining the present, Robin noticed that Green Arrow had amassed quite the following. All the heroes were twittering nervously, which led Robin to believe that Batman's mission was not common knowledge. And judging by the way Superman was wringing his cape, Batman didn't even tell his inner circle. Well, that made his time at the Watchtower all the more enjoyable._

 _###_

 _Robin was sitting in the emergency briefing of the original members of the Justice League. It was amazing how worked up they had gotten themselves in such a brief period of time. Which is how he found himself discussing his plans on getting back to his rightful age. Robin wasn't really sure what he was saying, but he used the big words that Batman used when explaining zeta beams and the multiverse theory. Logically, they probably made no sense in the context that they were being used in, but the League members were nodding along like he was some sort of genius._

 _Robin was not surprised, but certainly disappointed when he heard the static of the comm in his ear before Batman growled, "Where are you?"_

 _Lifting his hand to his ear he said, "Emergency meeting with the Justice League. I can be there in two minutes."_

 _Wonder Woman stood up just as Batman growled. "I'll come to you. Stay put."_

 _Turning his attention back to the Amazon princess, he was not surprised when she said, "Batman, are you sure that fighting crime is wise in your current condition. Perhaps you can allow us to take care of the situation for you?"_

 _Robin was about to respond when the doors burst open and Batman stormed in. "I thought I told you to stay in my room."_

 _Robin pouted. "It wasn't my fault! Green Arrow snuck into your room to look through your things and then he assumed that I was you! Granted I may have allowed him to continue that belief but you told me not to tell anyone who I was! And then Green Arrow freaked out and picked me up like a sack of spuds and ran around yelling that there was an emergency! I was perfectly content taking apart your computer!"_

 _Batman ran a hand down his face. Robin turned up the cuteness factor in his pout and raised his arms up. Batman absentmindedly picked him up and settled him comfortably on his hip. Robin really hoped that there was security cameras in this room to capture the League's flabbergasted expressions. It's like they never imagined that Batman had a life outside of Superheroing before. Idiots. Batman obviously didn't fight crime during the day._

 _Robin snuggled closer into Batman's side as he said, "This is Robin. My…"_

 _Seeing as his mentor was obviously trying to find the right word to describe them without offending him, Robin piped in, "His son."_

 _The room exploded with shock. Flash even began vibrating so hard that he fell out of his chair. Robin was the only one that noticed that Batman's hand tightened around his waist slightly and the barely noticeable muscle twitch in his cheek that signified he was grinning internally._

 _Robin smirked. He was totally going to get ice cream next time they were on patrol._

###

"Batman takes you to get ice cream on patrol?"

Artemis face palmed. "That's all you get out of this story Baywatch? We learn how the first partner met the League and all you can think about is that Batman takes Robin out for ice cream!"

Kaldur interrupted before Wally could argue. "I cannot believe that the Justice League was fooled by your night clothes."

Running a hand through his hair, Robin sighed. "Look. The League didn't know who Batman was at that point, and obviously Batman doesn't seem like the most paternal person. To find out that he had a kid, was the first one of them to have a kid, was a shock."

Conner grunted slightly. "They didn't question you becoming a hero."

Robin smirked slightly. "Who said that they knew? Just because they met me, doesn't mean they figured it out. Superman came a few months later to confirm the identity of Batman's new mysterious partner. And believe me, the League was not happy that a child was out fighting crime."

M'gann's eyebrows furrowed. "When and why did they stop questioning you?"

Robin's eyes darkened. "When I proved to be invaluable in the field." Clapping his hands. Robin stood up. "With that little tidbit of information, I really do have to go back to Gotham. Agent A won't be happy if I'm late."

The team watched as Robin disappeared through the zeta beam. Eyes wide, Wally turned to the team. "Do you think that if it had been us, Robin would've been able to fool us?"

Artemis winced. "I rather not think about things that I don't like the answer to."

The rest of the team nodded in morose agreement.

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 **A/N: So I'm back and no longer Jet Lagged. The reason I didn't bring my laptop was that my grandpa doesn't know what wifi is, let alone have it. And my laptop is fairly old, so it doesn't retain any battery, which would make internet cafes a hassle. I did, however see your reviews, and I am so happy that you guys liked the story. I hope that this one lived up to expectations.**

 **Just saying, I LOVE the TV show BONES now. Thank you airplane with your limited entertainment options. Also the movie AUSTRALIA with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman was amazing.**


	41. Future Woes

**Future Woes**

It happened on a rare mission in Gotham. One minute they were fighting the latest crazy and the next there was a bright flash of light and they were standing there in total in itself was unnatural, Gotham was not meant to be silent.

Immediately, Robin raised his hand to the comm in his ear. "Batman. Come in Batman."

There was no response. Not even static. The comm was dead. Whatever happened disconnected all forms of communication. They needed to get in contact with Batman. Or the League. Preferably, without compromising their identities.

Knowing the dangers of Gotham, Robin gestured for the team to change into stealth mode. Nodding towards the shadows, Robin disappeared, allowing the team to follow. As they made their way across Gotham through the shadows, M'gann reestablished the mind link. _Robin? What's going on? Where are we going?_

Not pausing, Robin continued to make his way to the center of Gotham. _I don't know. But we're going to the roof of Gotham PD. Comms are down. I need to contact Batman and your security clearance isn't high enough to go to the Batcave._

Wally zoomed in front of him, making Robin stop. _Won't the Gotham PD have questions? Or try to stop us from getting to the roof?"_

Side-stepping Wally, Robin continued down the streets of Gotham. _It's Gotham. As long as you act like you're supposed to be there, nobody will question it. Besides, everyone knows me and Bats._

The rest of the journey was spent in relative silence. The only sounds being the sounds of honking cars and the occasional direction from Robin. A foreboding feeling started to rise as the team slowly noticed how tense Robin was, and how he occasionally looked at a building blankly as if he did not recognize it.

Finally they arrived at the GCPD building. Gesturing for the team to follow him, Robin lead the team to a back alley filled with a few dumpsters. In an amazing feat of acrobatics, Robin ran a few steps before jumping onto the lid of a dumpster, propelling himself into the alley wall, which he used as a launchpad to spring to an unseen fire escape.

Giving the team a brief cocky smile, he pushed the ladder down so that the rest of the team could climb up. Once again, the team was immersed in silence as they made their way up to the roof. When they reached the Bat Signal Robin turned it on before leaning against the wall.

Shivering slightly, Artemis leaned slightly into Wally, though she would never admit it. "Now what?"

Tilting his head up to look at the smog covered night sky, Robin closed his eyes briefly. "Now we wait."

###

It didn't take long. Seven minutes after the signal went on, there was an almost impercivable tap on the far corner of the roof. Robin was immediately alert, it was way too light to have been Batman. And then there was the tap tap tap of three other people landing on the roof with slightly more force than the first.

The team did not seem to notice that they were no longer alone or that Robin was no longer relaxed. In the back of his mind, Robin decided to tell Black Canary to focus less on fighting and more on observational skills. They were equally important in the field, especially when observation could decide whether or not it was in your best interest to retreat.

Refocusing on the task at hand he called out, "You're not Batman. Where is he?"

Out of the shadows, a figure wearing a red helmet appeared. "No shit kid. Who the fuck are you? We deal with enough Robin wannabes. Let me tell you, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Crowbars fucking hurt."

A smaller figure stepped out of the shadows wearing what looked like an altered version of his Robin costume. "Do not besmirch Robin's title Red Hood. Just because you were idiotic enough to die at the Joker's hand does not allow you to mar Father's good name."

Robin blinked. Who were these people.? And what in the world was wrong with them? The one dude was obviously still alive, so Joker did not do a very good job killing him.

Another figure stepped out of the shadows, this one wearing two belts strapped across his chest. "Demon Brat, you know that Hood is still sensitive about Joker and crowbars."

The guy in the helmet nodded. "Yeah. Thanks Red Robin. Wait! Hey! I'm not sensitive!"

The final figure stepped out of the shadows. Robin could tell that he had been the first one to land on the roof because there was hardly a sound as the figure approached. Robin had the strangest feeling of deja vu as he looked at the man dressed in blue who inserted himself between the squabbling figures. "Boys behave, or I will call B and tell him that I can't handle you guys and that I'm moving back to Bludhaven. I can't imagine that will go over well with him especially because he is off world and can't strong arm me into staying."

The bickering stopped immediately, and the figures stared at the newest man appraisingly.

The smallest one broke the silence first. "I can't imagine that Father would be very pleased. Very well, I will stop this ludicrous conversation. I have no interest in continuing anyways."

The one in the red helmet seemed to be studying the man. Finally he said, "I don't think I can call you Goldie anymore. That was very manipulative. I like it."

Meanwhile the one with the belts across his chest was typing on a holocomputer rapidly. He barely slowed down as he said, "I guess there's a reason why you're the oldest Wing. And as the oldest, I suppose you should deal with our guests and figure out why they called us here in the first place. Not to mention why they are dressed as heroes. Everybody knows that dressing as a hero is suicidal in Gotham."

Robin had to give the teen some credit. He was right. Which is why he had asked his team to change into stealth mode. Villains in Gotham hated supers, which was part of the reason that Batman did not allow capes in Gotham. The other part being that he was unnaturally possessive of his city.

The man dressed his blue smacked his forehead lightly. "Right. Our guests. How could I forget?"

As the man studied them, Robin had the sinking feeling that the man had not forgotten, but had rather pretended to ignore them so that he could study them without their knowledge. Now the man made it blatantly obvious as he tilted his head and gazed at each of them with a calculating look on his face. Robin's spine tingled when the man's gaze fell on him and a look of recognition flitted across his face so fast that only a protege of Batman could have seen it.

The man pinched his nose before raising a hand to his ear. "Hey Old Man…...Well you're older than me, so there!...No, they're all fine and have yet to kill each other…...Yes, Agent A can corroborate my story…...A kid can't call to tell their dad how much they love and miss him?...No that's not the real reason I called…...No Gotham is not burning…...No there was not a mass escape from Arkham…...Will you stop guessing so that I can tell you?!...Okay, funny story. I'm pretty sure there's a mini-me standing in front of me….No! Not my kid! Like me, as in from the past! The whole Young Justice team is here!...Okay. See you then…...You too. Be safe B."

The man lowered his hand. "Okay. Good news and bad news."

When nobody asked the man rubbed his gloved hands together. "Good news is that you guys get to go to the Batcave. Through a secret entrance that will be destroyed afterwards of course. Bad news is that Batman's coming home. And he is not happy."

Robin stared at the man. There was something he was not telling them. A vital detail by the looks of things, and he was not happy to be kept out of the loop. Fortunately for him, Artemis sensed it too, and was not nearly as tactful as he would have been. Or perhaps, he was just too used to Batman's mind games, and was waiting for them to make the next move in their metaphorical chess game. Either way, Artemis put an end to it by saying, "What the hell is going on? We don't even know who you are! Why would we go anywhere with you?"

The man smiled slightly before saying, "How rude of me. Let me introduce myself, my name is Nightwing, and by the looks of it, Robin just figured out who I am."

###

Robin felt like he had been suckerpunched. Repeatedly. _Nightwing._ The name rang around his head. _Nightwing_. The name of the hero in Clark's stories. _Nightwing._ The persona he had been thinking of taking on once he had outgrown Robin.

It would explain everything. Why the comms didn't work. Why there were buildings that he did not recognize. Why there seemed to be a new Robin. Why he was able to reach Batman so easily. And the strong sense of deja vu. He was looking at himself, but an older version. No wonder the man's footsteps had been so quiet.

Nightwing offered him a slight smile before turning to his comrades and offering a series of fast hand movements. Sign language. Useful for the field when talking could compromise your position and you didn't have a martian to link your thoughts.

Nightwing turned back to face the team. "I'd like you to meet my brothers. Red Hood, Red Robin, and Robin. I guess we'll have to figure out something to distinguish you two."

Red Hood smirked. "Just call ours Demon Brat. Everyone does except Dickhead."

The other Robin snarled and bared his teeth. Robin had to admit that he did look a little like a demon in that moment.

Nightwing sighed and placed a hand on top of the other Robin's head. Robin noticed immediately that the boy calmed, although he tried to duck under the hand. Nightwing didn't seem to notice. "We'll call you Rob and our Robin, well Robin. That okay with both of you?"

Robin shrugged. Who cared, the real issue was that Nightwing had yet to answer the real question.

Red Hood groaned loudly. "Stop being such a dick Nightwing and tell them what they want to know. Agent A promised cookies and hot chocolate. I'm not missing out because you like to play your little mind games and do your little manipulative dance."

Nightwing gave a dramatic sigh but the smile never fell off of his face. "I see no reason for you guys not to trust us. After all, Robin already does. Not that he has much of a choice, it's hard not to trust yourself. Even if it is an older and better looking version."

###

Artemis fidgeted nervously. They were in the Batcave. The actual Batcave. Most of the Justice League had never been to the Batcave. And yet here she was, standing in the middle of the Batcave, even though she had no clue where she actually was. They could be outside of Gotham for all she knew.

The brothers were standing confidently by the massive arrange of computers watching their every move. Wally didn't seem to mind as he zipped and zoomed around the cave gaping at all the trophies. Robin followed at a more demure pace. Artemis could tell that he was staring at the 'souvenirs' that he did not recognize. She supposed that he might be the one the most out of place. He knew everything, yet everything was different than it was supposed to be. The city, his home, his family. It was all different.

She watched as Nightwing pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning against and silently made his way to Robin. They seemed to communicate nonverbally for a second before Nightwing jerked his head to the side and led Robin to a well concealed door and slipped inside, the door clicking shut quietly behind them.

Artemis turned just in time to watch as Superboy tilted his head to the side and scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. "I can't hear."

Red Robin didn't look up from the massive book he was reading but said in a droll tone, "Batman's friends with Superman, not that he would ever admit it. It would be poor planning if we did not have a lead lined room in the Batcave. You'll find that you are unable to see through the walls as well."

M'gann's eyes began to glow. "They're blocking me."

The other Robin scoffed from his position sitting at the computer with a sketch pad. "Ttt. Even at a young age Nightwing's, or should I say Robin's, training was extensive. I highly doubt the most experienced of psychics could enter his mind without his permission. And even if they did, I doubt that it would be a nice place to be. I wouldn't worry about your friend, it is hardly necessary to separate you in order to defeat you."

Ignoring the commit about their skill level, Artemis asked, "What's wrong with his mind? Why would it be less pleasant than the next person's?"

Red Hood looked up from where he had been polishing his helmet. In its place was a red domino mask that allowed Artemis to see the similarities between his features and Robin's. With all the Robins. Primarily, the black hair. "Look. Gotham isn't like most cities. It's sick. It's twisted. And the villains are even more so. The things they do to people, the things they've done to us, it would make the strongest people nauseous. So while you think that the Boss Man in just being a giant douche and not letting you in the city, it's for your own protection. If you think back, Robin has probably never once protested the fact that you can't come here. He knows. Gotham changes people, and almost never for the better."

###

Nightwing stared at his younger self. Bringing him to this room had seemed like a good idea at first, but now it just seemed awkward. Forcing himself to remain neutral he offered the boy in front of him a small, and hopefully encouraging, smile. "Ask."

"Are they my replacements?"

Nightwing winced at the term. Flashes of his own, Jason's and Tim's anger and pain racing through his mind. Taking a deep breathe, Nightwing closed his eyes. "No. It felt that way at first, but they're not."

The grim look on the boy's face made his stomach clench. How had Bruce managed to stay stoic if that was how he was looking at him? "All evidence seems to point to the contrary."

How could he explain this without misunderstanding? Perhaps that was Bruce's problem. Maybe all the hatred and hurt could have been avoided if Alfred had acted like a translator. "Look. Bruce, he's not good at this kind of thing. The emotional stuff. He saw a kid who was living on the streets and needed help and brought him home. At that point I, we, had moved on from Robin. He thought that it would help the kid. He didn't think about how I would feel. But we've moved past that. All of us. When we're ready to leave the nest, Robin is handed down. Doesn't mean Bruce loves any of us less or more. Got it?"

The boy looked relieved. Nightwing couldn't believe he was technically having a conversation with his past self without it being a school assignment or being crazy. "Just remember that he cares. Even when he acts like he doesn't. Batman and Robin are like yin and yang. One is darkness with a little light, and the other is light with a little darkness. They balance each other out. Batman needs Robin just as much as Robin needs Batman."

The boy nodded. Deciding that the emotionally heavy stuff was over, Nightwing walked out of the room silently, only to hear Red Hood give a monologue about the Gotham crazies and the darkness that they constantly battled.

Trying to lighten the mood a little, Nightwing airlily said, "I think it says more about us that we're willing to fight the crazies." To emphasize his point, Nightwing flipped onto his hands and balanced himself on two fingers on his right hand.

Red Hood snorted. "We all know you're crazy Wing. There's no need to prove a point."

Nightwing flipped back onto his feet and opened his mouth to say something, anything really to defend himself, but a roar of an engine echoing around the cave interrupted him. Smiling slightly, Nightwing cocked his head to the side and looked at one of the many cave entrances from which the sound was coming from. "He's here."

Nobody needed to ask exactly who 'he' was.

###

Robin watched with mild interest as his teammates' backs straightened as soon as the Batmobile came into view. He forced himself to stay casual as he sauntered up to the Batmobile. When Batman exited, he made a show of inspecting his mentor before finally settling on saying, "You're old. When did that happen?"

Batman smirked slightly and brushed past him. "Time has a way of doing that."

Robin waited patiently for Batman to log onto the Batcomputer and type something. It was a power play. Making them wait until he was ready for them, instead of the other way around. Robin let him have his moment. Nothing good would come out of rushing Batman.

Finally Batman turned back to them. "I have the transport device from when Nightwing was Robin. It travels with you, so give it to me once you get home. That way, it will be in the Batcave when your Robin is Nightwing, and it happens again."

"I don't remember this though!" Nightwing blurted. "I mean wouldn't I, of all people, remember?"

"The device has the unfortunate side-effect of erasing your memories once you arrive back in your own time. That way the time is not disturbed and you do not accidentally change your future."

Robin could hardly argue with that. "How will I remember to give this to Batman?"

Robin could tell that the older Batman was rolling his eyes at him. Apparently, this Batman hated to be questioned just as much as his Batman did. "I have it covered."

Robin watched as Batman walked into the storage room and came out with a box. Pulling out a machine, Batman placed it on the desk. Flipping through the other Robin's sketch book, Batman tore out a sheet of blank paper, ignoring the boy's loud protests. Quickly, he scrawled out a message, folded the paper several times, and then wrote **BATMAN** on top. Clearly he wanted to be blatantly obvious who the note was for.

Clicking a few buttons on the machine, Batman tossed it to him. Out of reflex, Robin caught it, a question on his lips. But before he could ask, a light enveloped him and his team, and everything went blank.

###

Robin blinked. What was going on? What happened? Glancing around, Robin noticed that he was standing in the center of Mt. Justice and that his mentor and half the Justice League was surrounding him.

Shaking his head, Robin tried to clear the fuzz from his brain. Not that it worked, if anything, it made it worse. Even though his tongue felt like it was tied in knots, Robin managed to say, "What, what happened?"

Batman didn't answer, but strode towards him, scanning for any injuries. Gently, Batman pried Robin's fingers off of some machine that he didn't even notice that he was holding.

Bringing his hand up to rub his face, Robin noticed that he was holding a very crumpled note. Smoothing it out slightly, Robin read his mentor's name. What was strange, was it seemed to be written in Batman's handwriting.

Shrugging it off, Robin handed it over. Batman unfolded the note and read it. He seemed to reread it twice before refolding it and stuffing it in his belt. "They're fine. The League was not compromised and the amnesia is permanent. Do not try and remember what happened, it won't do you any good."

Robin watched as his mentor swept out of the room. His friends were still groaning and disoriented, so Robin decided it was probably best if he followed Batman. Perhaps he would even gain incite as to what happened. Though he doubted it. Batman's tone suggested that whatever happened would stay secret.

###

Dick sat in the Med Bay of the Batcave as Alfred checked him over. He watched as Bruce placed the machine in storage and paced around the Batcave as if trying to decide something. Dick broke the silence before Bruce could wear the cave floor. "What happened?"

Bruce paused for a moment. "I can't tell you. But you will know someday. Trust me."

Dick shrugged and nodded. He could do that.

###

Nightwing waited for his brothers to file out of the Batcave before turning to Batman. Simultaneously, both of them took of the mask and cowl, allowing them to resume their roles as Dick and Bruce.

As Bruce settled himself in the desk chair in front of the computer, Dick leaned over the back of it so that his chin was touching the top of Bruce's head. Bruce, predictably, shoved him off. Dick rolled his eyes good naturally before sitting on the armrest of the chair. "So. I guess I know now. Not as cool as I thought it would be."

Bruce's typing slowed, so Dick knew he was paying close attention. "I thought we had been abducted by aliens or something!"

"Normal people would say that that is absurd, but we both know that that is a definite possibility."

Dick stilled. "Oh man! I never thought of that!"

Bruce chuckled. "You never cease to surprise me Chum."

"Good. I wouldn't want to bore you. Now, Alfred promised me some cookies, so I'm gonna head up. Are you coming now, or would you like me to save some from the starved savages I call my brothers?"

"Be there in two minutes. Make sure to fend off some cookies. I want to have more than a few crumbs."

Dick shook his head laughing. "I'll see you in a few Dad." With that he bounded up the stairs, his infectious laughter still ringing through the otherwise silent cave. Bruce smirked to himself. He was glad that even after all these years, he could still make Dick laugh. That Gotham wasn't able to take all his joy away. Perhaps that was why they were the heroes of Gotham. The city had broken so many, yet it had made each of them stronger.

Shaking his head slightly to dispel his thoughts, Bruce stood up. Cookies and family time, which undoubtedly meant laughter, teasing, and bickering, sounded good right now. It would chase the last bit of darkness away for the night until it tried to reclaim him tomorrow. But it would never win, not as long as he had his lights, his Robins.

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 **A/N: So...longest chapter in a while. I really, really liked this chapter, so I hope that you do to. Let me know in the comments section below!**


	42. Of Photoshoots and Embarrassing Moments

**Of Photoshoots and Embarrassing Moments**

Robin walked into the cave with his head down. He was trying to be inconspicuous. If he had had a choice, he would have stayed home with a blanket pulled over his head. But Batman and Agent A ruined that plan by ganging up on him and forcing him to go to the cave. Traitors.

As it was, he had already had a horrible day at school, and it was all because of that damn photoshoot.

###

 _Dick frowned. Why were so many people staring at him? Sure he usually attracted attention and mild curiosity from his classmates, but they had never stared at him so blatantly. Dick lifted his chin up. One of the many tabloids had probably published another unflattering article about him and Bruce._

 _Ignoring everyone, Dick continued to walk to his class. Or he would've, if the most popular girl in school hadn't blocked his path. Knowing that walking around her was the equivalent of social suicide, and he was desperate for friends, he waited for her to talk. Katerina Mulcheck was from one of the most respected families in Gotham. Not nearly as respected and world renowned as the Wayne name, but definitely in second place. He just hoped that she would not ruin what little social standing he did have._

 _Finally she spoke. "Richard. You were in quite a few magazines this weekend."_

 _Trying to keep his expression neutral, Dick said, "That's nothing new. People are always curious about what Bruce Wayne and his son are doing."_

 _Katerina raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow. "So you're calling yourself his son now, huh?"_

" _Legally speaking. The adoption was finalized a few weeks ago."_

 _This earned a few shocked gasps from the crowd. Dick really wanted to yell, 'Hear that suckers! Bruce is keeping me! He's not returning me to the circus or to the state like a toy he's done playing with!'_

 _Stiffly, Katerina said, "Oh. I didn't realize."_

" _We decided to keep it to ourselves for a while. It's hard to celebrate when paparazzi are swarmed outside your house."_

 _Despite how aware he was that annoying her would make his school life more miserable, Dick was starting to get annoyed. Crossing his arms, he raised his eyebrows in question. "Are we done here, or do want something else Katerina? I do have a class to get to."_

 _Once again the crowd gasped. Dick could understand why, nobody talked to Katerina that way. Katerina straightened, and Dick found himself staring at the tip of her nose. Granted, she was was wearing four-inch heels, so he wasn't that short. "I'm going to be nice, and ignore that comment. I just wanted to know if this photo was real or not."_

 _Dick blinked as a magazine was thrust into his face. The back cover was an advertisement for a brand of clothing. An ad that he had modeled for. In the photo, he was standing there in a pair of jeans, a white button down shirt, and a vibrant blue sports coat. He looked really good, as somehow the ensemble emphasized how lean and fit he was. Dick hadn't realized that the photo would actually make its way into popular magazines. Maybe an internet ad, but definitely not Gotham's most read magazine! Bruce was going to kill him._

" _Yeah. I have the original somewhere in my bag if you want to compare it. I don't think they airbrushed anything but what do I know?"_

 _Katerina's impatient look made Dick sigh and start to dig through his backpack. "Before you ask, the reason I have these in my bag is because Alfred took me straight after school and I after shoving them in here and proceeded to forget about them."_

" _Whatever. Just hand them over."_

 _Dick bit back a growl when she ripped the photo out of his hands. Seeing her astonished look, Dick smirked. "Satisfied?"_

" _Yeah."_

" _Can I go now?"_

" _Yeah whatever."_

 _Despite the fact that he had left the queen of the school speechless, Dick felt no satisfaction as he walked away. He had just been harassed over some stupid photo. There was no way that the other kids, not to mention the paparazzi were going to leave him alone now. Dick groaned. This was going to suck, and he was definitely not going to feel the aster when Bruce found out._

 _And boy did Bruce find out. Apparently, the paparazzi staked out Wayne Corp and he was forced to have the police escort him out of his own building. And then there was the school. Bruce had wanted to surprise Dick and pick him up, but the camped out reporters and photographers made it impossible. So once again, he was forced to call the Commissioner so he could be escorted in and out of Gotham Academy with Dick in tow._

 _Dick was surprised when Bruce didn't comment on the increased interest in him. When he tried to stay home however, Bruce told him to "Get used to it. You're a Wayne. People will always be absurdly interested in your life."_

 _Which is how Dick found himself at Mt. Justice trying to maintain a low profile. For once, he was thankful that Wally was the only one who knew his secret identity._

 _###_

Robin sank into the sofa next to his teammates. Artemis had somehow managed to gain control of the remote from Conner and was mindlessly flipping through the channels. She paused on a celebrity watch channel much to the disappointment of Robin, Conner, and Wally. Kaldur seemed to have no opinion, probably because he was reading an Atlantean book.

Robin paled as the photo from the magazine overtook the screen. Wally couldn't help himself, he burst out laughing at his friend's misfortune and misery.

" _Today on Celebrity Watch, we look into the life of Bruce Wayne's adopted son Richard Grayson. As you can see, Richard modeled for Creyate, who has recently reported that they are now sold out of the sports coat that Richard is seen wearing in the photograph. Richard has declined to comment, but a classmate of his reported that the photos are not photoshopped and that Richard seemed confused and flustered by all the attention. It looks like Gotham has another eligible bachelor on her hands!"_

Dick's face was warm. He couldn't believe that he had made national television with that stupid ad. He was never going to model again, despite what charities the companies promised to donate money to.

Artemis sighed. "He goes to my school."

"I wish that he went to my school." M'gann added dreamily much to Conner and Robin's displeasure.

"Eh. I don't see what the big deal is." Wally was officially the best bro ever. Robin would have to remember to bring him a few dozen of Alfred's cookies as a prize for being so awesome.

Artemis looked at Wally like he was an idiot. Or a three year old. Or maybe an idiot three year old. "He's rich and cute. And apparently he doesn't know it, why else would he get flustered?"

"Maybe because people were shoving cameras in his face?" Robin asked drolly. He hoped that his face was nowhere near as red as he feared it was.

"Who cares, all that matters is that Richard Grayson is hot."

That was of course when Batman stode in. Robin flushed a deeper red knowing that his father had heard what Artemis had said. This day really couldn't get much worse.

"Robin. Home. Now. Apparently I was wrong."

Robin scrambled out of his seat and to the zeta beam. As he exited, he heard Batman growl, "Don't you guys have better things to do than discuss Richard Grayson? If Black Canary isn't training you hard enough, I'd be more than happy to take over."

Robin had to bite his lip so that he wouldn't laugh out loud when he heard the strangled 'eep' noise coming from his team.

Batman strode to him with deadly purpose. "You won't be returning until this whole thing dies down."

The last thing that the team heard was Robin whine, "But Batman!" right before the zeta beams went off.

Artemis allowed herself to exhale for the first time since Batman entered the room. "I think it's best we never speak of this again."

"Agreed." The rest of the team chorused simultaneously.

It was, after all, best not to get on Batman's bad side. That is assuming, that he had a good side in the first place.

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 **A/N: I always find the photoshoot fics hilarious, so I thought that I might give it a try. In other news, I really could use some help with prompt ideas! If you have any, let me know!**


	43. Facebook Live

**Facebook Live**

Artemis was bored. Really bored. The team minus Robin were all sitting in the cave awaiting their next training session, or better yet, a mission. Robin had scurried off an hour ago after reading a text message without saying a word to anyone.

Taking her laptop out of her backpack, Artemis opened Facebook. Hopefully somebody out there was doing something reasonably interesting. Right away, she got an alert that Roy Harper was starting a live video. Nudging Wally, who was sitting next to her, Artemis gestured at the screen. "Wanna watch?"

Wally enthusiastically nodded his head, calling their friends over in the process. "Roy's starting a live video! This has gotta be good! He swore up and down that he was never doing one of these because he respected his own privacy too much!"

As the video finally began, a hush fell over the cave. Roy was sitting next to a teen that looked quite a bit younger than he was. The teen, winked at the camera as Roy ate a sandwich. Roy was licking at his fingers when he said, "So Dick? What exactly did you want to show me on the computer?"

The boy, Dick, shrugged nonchalantly. "Remember how you said you were never, ever going to do a live video?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

Dick gestured at the computer. "Say hi to the millions of people watching! Apparently when the son of a multimillionaire starts a live video, people tune in. Especially when said people notice that the son of a multibillionaire is also in said video. The hashtags #IwannabeRoy'ssandwich, #DickandRoyarefriends and #IwannamarryDickGrayson are trending right now."

Roy stared at the camera for a moment. "Seriously? Who wants to be my sandwich?"

Dick, who Artemis just realized was Dick Grayson, the boy who went to her school, shrugged. "The internet is a vast place my friend." Taking out his phone, he scrolled through it for a moment. "Hey Roy? I know you're trying to figure out how to turn off the video, but why don't we answer a few of the internet's burning questions? When in Rome and all that."

Roy sighed. "Fine. But I get to plead the fifth if I want. Send the questions to Dick's Facebook account, I don't need my inbox to be flooded, thank you very much."

Dick pouted slightly. "Okay Royboy, first question is from _Robin'smyfuturehusbad_. Why didn't Roy want to do a live video?"

Roy growled at the nickname but decided not to comment and instead answer the question. "People are always prying into my private life. I don't feel the need to broadcast personal details about myself."

Dick nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I might be active on social media, but I would appreciate it if I wasn't constantly hounded by fans and the media. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad people like me, but I'd like to be able to walk down the streets without being swarmed. On a different note, next question! This is from _Fangurl1999_. Both of you came from unique backgrounds before being taken in by very rich and powerful men. Did they encourage you to continue fostering your talents?"

Dick leaned back in his chair and smirked. "I guess being a circus brat constitutes as being unique. Did Bruce foster that? If spending thousands of dollars on state of the art equipment counts, then yes. He did. In all seriousness though, Bruce always told me that he wanted me to feel connected to my parents. The gym equiptment was one way of remembering them. He drew the line though when I used his credit card to rent an elephant. Apparently, finding an elephant on his front lawn when he came home from work was not something he wanted to deal with after a long day."

Roy stared at Dick. "Dude. You never told me the story behind the 'no renting elephants if I give you my credit card'. No wonder Bruce feels the need to remind you every single time we go to the mall."

Dick shrugged unapologetically. Which made Roy sigh. "As for me, Ollie used to take me to the Reservation whenever I wanted. He went to the archery range with me too, though he never did learn how to hold a bow properly."

Dick's attention turned back to his phone. "Okay, _RichGuyzzz_ asks what word we we use if we had to sum up Bruce and Ollie's parenting skills in one word."

Roy was silent for a second before smirking slightly. "Awkward."

Dick nodded and shook his head. "Man I don't know if anyone has ever been able to describe Bruce in one word, and if they have, they certainly don't know him as well as they think they do. Um. Okay. I have my word. Eclectic."

Roy nodded in understanding, and something past between the two of them as Roy got up and shuffled off screen. Dick continued to stare at the camera and seemed to be pulled out of his reverie when Roy yelled, "Answer the next question Dickhead!"

Dick shook his head but did what was asked of him. "The next question comes from _TheWallMan_. Wait, that's Wally! Roy! Wally's asking the next question!"

Artemis watched shocked as Roy ran back to Dick with a granola bar hanging out of his mouth. Artemis turned to face Wally, who shrugged helplessly as the two idiots stared at the camera. Finally Dick turned to Roy. "Dude. We should call Wally."

Roy smirked dangerously and nodded. To Wally's horror his phone started ringing with Dick's name flashing across the screen. Dick and Roy, meanwhile had put the phone on speakerphone so that the whole world would be able to hear their conversation. Wally was going to let it go to voicemail, but then Dick said, "Wally. Dude. We know you're watching this so pick up your damn phone. Ignoring it won't make it go away."

With a pit of dread forming in his stomach, Wally tentatively said, "Hello?"

###

Dick gave himself a mental pat on the back. He had gotten Wally to pick up his phone. "Hey Wallman, you're on speakerphone. Ask us your question!"

"Uh, first off, does Bruce and or Ollie know about this?"

"Not unless they're watching. Hopefully they're not. And to any reporters or news execs who are watching this and thinking, 'This would make a great segment on my show' please don't. I don't need to be grounded for life. Or more accurately, two to four months with no chance of parole."

Roy burst out laughing. "Man I'm so glad that I am a legal adult and therefore have my own apartment."

Dick sniffed. "But if Bruce grounds me, you can be sure that he will give Ollie some form of lecture and Ollie will then call you and rant how he just listened to Bruce Wayne lecture him for half an hour."

Roy paled substantially. It was Dick's turn to burst out laughing. Wally cleared his throat awakwardly. Oh right, Wally was on the phone. Should he, or should he not make his best friend's life miserable? Now that was the real question.

"Um. I also wanted to know why you chose those words to describe Mr. Queen and Mr. Wayne."

Roy sniffed. "Ollie took me in when I was already a rebellious teenager. He couldn't exactly take me to the park to play catch. We bonded, but any time he tried to exert parental authority it was awkward because he acted more like a friend than a parent."

Dick nodded. "I guess eclectic is the best word because basically Bruce took every parenting book known to man, took the main points and then combined them. I swear on time when I was like eight, I threw a bit of a temper tantrum and Bruce turned to our butler and says, 'His teenage melodrama is already startin. He hates everything I do and stay on principle.' Man I thought Alfred was going to break decorum and laugh."

Roy shook his head chuckling. "Man. I'm learning so much about your childhood right now."

The room seemed to quiet down as Roy realized what he said. "I didn't mean…"

Dick shook his head and all traces of sadness seemed to disappear. It was like watching the sun come out after a thunderstorm. "It's all good. Hey Wallman? We'll see you at paintball next Sunday. Don't be late this time."

Hanging up on his best friend, Dick checked his phone. "Okay. We have time for one more. And the lucky question is from _Dickyouaresogrounded._ " Dick chuckled nervously. "Very funny guys. The jokster's question is 'How long should I ground you Richard?' Um? Bruce? If that's you, can you call me?"

Immediately, Dick's phone started ringing. Dick stared at it hopelessly making no move to answer. Roy rolled his eyes and answered the phone, putting it on speaker phone in the process. "Yo Bruce. What's up?"

"Hello Roy. It seems that my son decided to make a live video without telling me."

"Well if it makes you feel better, he did it without telling me too, and I'm sitting right next to him!"

"Strangely that does not help. Roy, Oliver would like to speak to you. Apparently, he did not like the word you used to describe his parenting. He wishes that I tell you that he has never been awkward a day in his life."

Roy face palmed. "Was his mustache twitching while he said that?"

Roy could hear Bruce rolling his eyes. "I don't know, I didn't ask. Dick, while I did not appreciate being called eclectic, I never said that you couldn't do a live video."

Dick gave a sigh of relief. He might be allowed back at Mt. Justice before he was Bruce's age. "However, you are grounded for the fact that I ruined a suit when my phone started blowing up with #BruceWayneeclecticparenting."

Dick groaned. "#Imsorry."

"#Youwillbe. #Yourcleaningthebasement. #Washmycars."

"#Consideritdone."

Roy groaned loudly. "#Cutitout." Turning to face the camera, Roy said, "And this is why I don't like live videos. They cause more problems than they solve."

With that, Roy cut off the video. Though in the seconds before the video ended, viewers everywhere could hear the Prince of Gotham bantering with his thirteen year old son.

###

Artemis closed her laptop. She wasn't sure exactly what to say. That live video had been interesting to say the least. Around her, her friends also sat in surprised silence. Though she wasn't sure if was because they had seen a lighter side of Roy, or because of the information they had gleamed from the video.

It was Wally who broke the silence. "I can't believe he recognized me and called me out. There must have been thousands of people sending in questions."

M'gann tilted her head to the side innocently. "Wally, why did you ask a question? They are both your friends, so can't you ask them in person?"

Wally shrugged and mumbled something about the experience before getting up and walking lazily to the kitchen. The rest of the team followed with M'gann eagerly volunteering to make cookies. Artemis just sat in silence, processing the new information she had learned. She had always assumed that Roy had had the perfect life. Ollie had raised him for some of it, and the man was rich and a hero. Artemis had been raised by her father, a villain, until her mother, a reformed villain, was released from prison. But maybe it wasn't as perfect as Artemis had made it out to be in her head.

Then there was Dick Grayson, a teen, who by all accounts had it all. But there had been genuine sorrow in his eyes as he had mourned the life he had had. Perhaps, money wasn't everything. Perhaps there was more to life. Like strong relationships. She had one with her mom. And with her team. They were a family. And Richard Grayson seemed to have that with Roy and with Bruce Wayne. She was glad that he wasn't alone. Nobody deserved that.

Maybe, she would talk to him at school. The boy always seemed to be lurking behind her for some reason. Maybe she could build a few strong relationships outside the hero world, starting with Dick. Maybe that was the start to moving on from her childhood. And Artemis was all for leaving behind the pain in search of something new.

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 **A/N: Full disclaimer...I am never on social media so I don't know how live videos and all that stuff work. Don't get me wrong I have accounts, but I honestly forget about them. I post like 1 photo a year on my instagram and I think I've posted 2 photos on my Facebook in the three years I've had it. And that was just this July. So please excuse my lack of knowledge!**

 **Please send in prompt ideas, I need plenty so that I can keep writing! I have a hard time when I only have a few, it's like my brain shuts down!**

 **Oh. And I'm starting school again this week, so I might not be updating quite as often...just FYI.**


	44. April Fools

**April Fools**

When Conner had learned that April first was a day of pranks, he had dreaded going back to the cave. Wally and Robin were constantly pulling pranks on each other and the rest of the team. It was going to be crazier today because it was a holiday celebrating those actions.

When he exited the zeta beam, he fully expected to be doused with water. Or even with slime. Or feathers. Really, anything that would serve to piss him off. Instead he was met with dead silence.

Taking it as a sign of horrible things to come, Conner crept carefully into the living room. Nothing. Not a single thing was out of place. M'gann was in the kitchen baking happily, as she (unlike him) had managed not to get a detention. Artemis was sitting on the couch watching TV with Kaldur sitting next to her reading a book.

Neither Wally or Robin was anywhere in sight. Sharing a brief mental hello with M'gann, Conner went to sit next to Kaldur. Not trusting the silence, he said, "Where's Robin and Wally?"

Artemis shrugged. "No clue. Probably off planning a big prank."

Conner nodded his agreement. They would be ready for whatever came.

###

Artemis head jerked up the moment she heard the automated voice say, "Kid Flash B-03."

Instead of seeing Wally sneak off somewhere like expected, she watched as he paced around on the phone. She was surprised as Wally started to pull at his hair before growling out, "Of course I know what day it is! Why do you think I'm so worried that he's not picking up!"

Artemis wondered if the 'he' in question was Robin. Was Wally worried because he was afraid of being pranked? But the reaction seemed deeper than that. Wally wasn't easily upset by trivial matters. "Roy! You know how he gets. We're his best friends, it's our job to take care of him!"

There was a pause in the conversation as Wally fell into a seat with a sigh. A world weary sigh. "I haven't tried calling the house yet. I just figured that they would be visiting the, you know."

Artemis was startled out of wondering what the hell was going on when she heard Wally's abrupt laugh. "I'm not afraid! Okay maybe a little, but so are you. He's not an easy man to please."

Wally paused for a moment and ran a hand down his face. "Look. You call him and I'll call the house. If nobody picks up, meet me there. Bring movies. I'll bring the snacks."

Roy must have said something affirmative, because Wally hung up immediately, and started dialing. Artemis wished that Robin were here, he would be able to hack Wally's phone and tell them who Wally was calling. Not to mention what the hell was going on.

Wally once again started pacing, paying the team no mind. When nobody picked up the phone, Wally let out a frustrated yell and tossed the phone across the room. While the phone didn't break, Artemis winced at the large cracks that were now running across the screen. Wally would most likely need to replace the screen to prevent himself from getting hurt.

Wally stalked angrily into the kitchen and started pulling out all the chips and candy he could find. Placing it into a bag, he turned around and jumped when he noticed the team staring at him. Rubbing the back of his neck, Wally offered a weak smile. "Hey guys. Didn't realize that everyone was partying at the cave today. Thought you guys would be out trying to avoid being pranked."

The team offered him an unimpressed look. Obviously he was not nearly as smooth as Robin when in came to changing subjects without notice. Robin chalked it up to be natural talent, but Wally thought it was either intense Bat training, living with Bruce Wayne as a father, or a genetic mutation.

"Um. Look. Obviously you guys are expecting me to go all out on the whole pranking thing, but it's really not a good day. And Rob's grounded for making the Batsuit bright pink with a sparkly Bat emblem again. The point being that we won't be a problem."

M'gann looked between him and the rest of the team nervously. "Wall? What's going on? The team believes that this is just an elaborate prank your pulling! But your mind is screaming that you're in a rush!"

Wally's eyebrows crinkled. He didn't like that M'gann was able to pick up on that. "Look. Roy and I, we have this friend. And today's a really bad day for him. I just want to be there for him so that he doesn't get stuck in his head."

Artemis raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him and for the first time since Wally met her and she let Cheshire escape, Wally hated her. Really, really hated her. How could she not get it! Some things were bigger than a stupid holiday! Sure, it used to be his favorite, but that was before he met Robin! Before he learned the tragedy that had taken place on this day! Before he had known the pain his best friend suffered from!

"His parents were murdered. In front of him. On this day a few years ago. Now if you don't mind, I want to go to him before he relives it for the upteenth time today. Nobody deserves that. Especially not him."

Artemis blinked in shock as Wally stormed past her. She hadn't been expecting that. Not at all. She had expected some bullshit excuse that would bite her in the ass when she let him leave. With a start, she realized that she felt guilty for questioning Wally, the phone call had made it quite obvious that he was doing something serious and not goofing around.

"Was that supposed to be a prank?"

Artemis turned to Conner with her mouth set in a grim line. "No. That wasn't a prank Conner. That was the truth."

M'gann nodded her head slowly. "The pain and fear radiating from him was real. I've never felt emotions so strong coming from Wally."

Kaldur looked up. "Fear? Why was he afraid?"

"I don't know. But it was strong, almost...brotherly?"

Artemis hugged herself. She would have to apologize to Wally. She shouldn't have been so aggressive. Wally was obviously doing something something important, and she shouldn't have gotten in his way.

Deciding she had the time, Artemis started rehearsing her apology.

###

Dick knew that his friends were sitting on the front porch waiting for him. Alfred had come in to tell them, but after seeing the way that Dick was snuggled into Bruce's side, had left to tell their guests that Dick was not up for visitors. Alfred had returned to tell him that his friends were not going to leave and were going to wait.

Dick looked up at Bruce uncertainly. Bruce was reading a document packet for work, but considering he had been on the same page for the last hour, the man was just pretending for the sake of Dick's pride.

Dick snuggled deeper into Bruce, and if the man hadn't been the Goddamn Batman, he probably would have winced at the force of Dick's chin burying itself into his ribs. As it was, he just squeezed the shoulder that his arm was wrapped around and continued to 'read'.

Dick sighed. His friends had to be cold outside. What kind of person was he to let them sit out there because he was a little sad. Bruce, being the mind reader he was, pulled Dick closer before murmuring, "Today's all about you Chum. They know that. Why else do you think they're waiting? They want you to know that they're here for you when you're ready. Not a second before."

Bruce paused, and Dick watched as his 'I'm thinking something really emotional and am not sure whether or not to voice it' face took over. Really, it was just the slightest crinkle of Bruce's eyebrows and a slight far away look in his eyes. Dick doubted that anyone else would notice it. He hadn't been able to place the look until Bruce had admitted to caring about him. Dick could tell that the man had wanted to say the L-word but wasn't sure how it would be received.

The look came over Bruce's face more often than one would think. He just almost never voiced his thoughts. According to his calculations, and that was only of the looks that witnessed, (which probably skewed the data) Bruce only said what he was thinking one in twenty times.

Staring at Bruce intently, Dick waited. Would Bruce voice his thoughts? Or was it going to be one of those times that he wondered about later? Finally, Bruce let out a small sigh. A decision was made. The question was what it would be.

"I'll wait too you know. In the future. If something's wrong, I'll be here until you're ready to talk."

Dick cursed his allergies that he did not have as his eyes began to water and he dove on top of Bruce for a hug. Bruce returned the hug with a soft grunt that probably had something to do with all one hundred pounds of acrobat dive bombing him.

They stayed like that for the rest of night. Or more accurately, Dick ended up falling asleep on top of Bruce, and the man couldn't pry the acrobat off of him without waking up the boy. He really wished that Dick wasn't such a cuddle monster. He did. Not really. Not even a little bit. Not that he would ever admit it. What villain would take Batman seriously if they knew that he liked to cuddle with his son? He had a reputation to uphold.

###

When Bruce woke up the next morning it was to the sounds of yelling and happy shouts. Slipping on his robe, Bruce walked down the stairs to find that his son was shouting at the TV with his two best friends and a pile of unhealthy snacks sitting at their feet.

Shaking his head, Bruce walked into the kitchen for his coffee. He was going to need it if he was going to deal with three hyper and well trained teenage vigilantes.

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 **A/N: Thanks Mr. Meeps16 for pointing out my mistake**

 **So I am alive, and I wanted to finish this story a while ago, but I have school now.**

 **Me: English essay...or writing fanfic? Thing that's worth 100 points...or thing that makes me and fans happy?**

 **I chose the English essay. And then proceeded to finish this. So I wrote a lot today. Hopefully my English professor realizes how much effort I put into that stupid essay and showers me with praise. If not, that's what I have you guys for, right? Just kidding.**

 **Anyways, hoped that you enjoyed!**


	45. Overprotective Older Brothers

**Overprotective Older Brothers**

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 **A/N: Just for this chapter...REVERSE ROBINS!**

 **Damian: Blackbird...age 23**

 **Tim: Red Robin...age 19**

 **Jason: Red Hood...age 16**

 **I kept there name's the same (except for Damian) because it makes it so much easier for me. And honeslty I don't think Tim could ever pull off _RED HOOD..._ its too (for a lack of a better word) Jason. And Nightwing will forever be Dick Grayson in my mind, hence Blackbird. **

**.**

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Robin was vegging out on his bed with his music blasting as he lazily hacked the CIA. In his soundproof room, Robin was left alone to his thoughts and finally had some peace and quiet. His team wasn't exactly what one would call a calming influence, and he really needed some alone time. Especially as it was highly unlikely that he would get some at home. Not with his brothers around.

Sighing slightly, Robin sank back further into his mattress. This was the good life. Staring at the computer screen, Robin decided that he would be nice and supplement the CIA's files on a wanted terrorist, with his own. They were never going to catch the guy at this rate. Besides, he loved watching Langley's security feeds when they discovered the Robin insignia on their computers along with a helpful step by step instructions on where to find wanted criminals. It was probably for the best that they had yet to connect 'Robin' to the Robin the teen vigilante of Gotham city. He really didn't need another lecture from Bruce about remaining 'mysterious' and 'not flaunting your skills' not to mention whatever else the man could think of.

Besides, at the end of the day, the CIA would thank him for making their lives easier. It was a win-win really. He was entertained for a few hours, and the CIA got some valuable information. There was nothing wrong with that. At least as far as he was concerned. Bruce could complain all he wanted. Dick would just point out how hypocritical he was. After all, he had found old video footage of the bat symbol taking over every monitor in Langley.

###

Wally was shoving a sandwich in his mouth as he attempted to dodge Artemis' arrows. The lady was crazy! All he had done was ask whether or not she had gained weight! It was obvious that she had been working out more, wasn't it reasonable to assume with her normal metabolism that she had gained muscle mass and therefore, weight?

His musings were cut short when the zeta beam activated. _Red Hood B13. Red Robin B20. Blackbird B27._ Wally let out a very unmanly squeak before rushing out of the room to find Robin.

Pounding on his best friend's door, he almost gave up and went to search the rest of the cave, when the door was thrown open. Wally briefly noted the loud music and his friend's rumpled appearance before grabbing his wrist and dragging him towards the kitchen. The evil brothers were left alone with his poor teammates.

"Wally! Dude? What the hell is your problem? Let me go!"

"Code red! Code red! Evil brothers! I repeat your evil brothers are here!"

Robin barely had time to process the new information before Wally pulled him into the room. Evil brothers? Taking in what was happening, Robin silently raised one eyebrow. Evil brothers indeed.

###

Artemis scowled when Wally ran away. Good. He was finally afraid of her. Maybe now he wouldn't call her fat. Hearing a scoff from behind her, Artemis turned around to see three people that she had never seen before. The eldest seemed to be wearing all black costume with a gray bat symbol and a black hooded cape. When he moved, Artemis could faintly see a sheath for a katana. Then there was the guy wearing a modified Robin costume with two belts crisscrossing across his chest. The final one was wearing a gray suit with a black bat and a brown leather jacket. He had a red helmet tucked under his arm, a smirk dancing across his mask covered face.

"Ttt. Was that West running out of the room? Apparently being a coward is genetic."

The guy with the two belts sighed and pulled out a hologlove. "They're not actually related Blackbird. Besides, after what you and Red Hood pulled last time we saw him, you can't really be surprised."

Red helmet started to laugh. "That was classic. We should really try and kill him more often."

Artemis stiffened. What the hell? She started to reach for her arrows subtly. There was no need to alert their visitors. Around her, she could see that her friends were doing the same thing.

Double belts didn't look up from his computer as he murmured, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Artemis ignored the guy. He was the enemy. Receiving the mental confirmation from Kaldur, Artemis launched her first arrow. Double belts, lept away and continued to tap away at the hologlove as he dodged multiple attacks not bothering to return fire.

Katana guy had no such problems. The sword was out and swinging in an intricate pattern of attack that made Artemis almost jealous. It was so beautiful despite how lethal she knew the attack to be. And by the looks of it, Katana guy was holding himself back.

Red helmet was meanwhile firing a gun at her with one hand and using a knife to fight Conner. Artemis hated to admit it, but the guy had skill. He almost looked bored as he fought them off, and Artemis got the distinct feeling that he too, was holding himself back.

Looking around, she realized that not only were only two of the strange men fighting, they were actually winning. Apparently Double belts had gotten annoyed by Conner's attacks, because he was now holding a piece of kryptonite as he continued to dodge attacks from Kaldur. And the other two looked like they were arguing with each other as they forced her into a corner and disarmed her.

Laying on the ground, with her limbs zip tied together, Artemis grew increasingly worried. She was trussed up like a wild hog, and Red Helmet had the nerve to use her as a sofa! There was also the teensy fact that everyone else on her team was tied up. She hated to admit it, but Wally was their only hope. Hopefully he had alerted Batman of the stranger's presence. And maybe Robin was around and planning a distraction from his hiding place somewhere in the vents.

That was when she heard it. The sound of Wally's disgruntled and panicked yelling, along with Robin's frustrated shouts. Was there a fourth thug that they didn't know about? Was Robin able to call in the League's help? Were they going to die?

Turned out that she didn't need to be worried. Robin walked in and looked around before raising one eyebrow and shaking his head. "When Wally came into my room panicking, I expected a full on invasion. Then he told me about the 'evil' brothers in here. Did you guys change sides? Last I checked, you were helping the good guys, not tying them up."

Katana guy scoffed. "As usual, West's incompetence shines through. He simply should have alerted you to our presence."

Red Helmet smirked before getting off of Artemis and ambling up to Robin and rubbing his hair. "I think I could pull off the whole 'villain' thing. Or better yet, I could be an antihero!"

Double belts rolled his eyes. "No such thing Hood. And for the record, they attacked first. Granted, the Demon and the Punk did give them the impression that they had tried to murder Wally in cold blood."

"Antiheroes are a thing! Deadpool is an antihero!"

"Guy doesn't exist, therefore he doesn't count."

Robin rubbed a hand down his face in pure exasperation. Artemis wondered how much he had to hang around these creeps for him to adopt that particular mannerism. "Guys. Seriously? Red Hood, you'd be an awesome antihero. Red Robin, while they technically don't exist we can agree that Red Hood has the right attributes to be one. And Blackbird, why am I always the one stopping the fights? You're the oldest, that's your job."

All three of the strangers grumbled under their breaths. "Now would you guys kindly untie my team? And will someone tell me why you guys are here? I was having an asterous day until five minutes ago."

The guy who Artemis assumed was Red Hood, dramatically put both hands over his heart. "That hurt Babybird. Are you trying to tell me that you don't want to see your big brothers?"

Artemis was just glad that she wasn't the only one who let out a shocked gasp. Brothers? That would certainly explain a lot.

###

Robin sat on the couch with his brothers taking up the positions next to him. Artemis wondered if any of them noticed that they looked like they were guarding him. Turning her full attention back to Robin she watched as he sighed and seemed to inch closer to Blackbird for physical contact. The man seemed reluctant, almost awkward, to give said contact, but allowed it nonetheless.

"These are my older brothers, Blackbird, Red Robin, and Red Hood. Wally knows them, which is why he was so quick to disappear."

Red Hood snorted. "We're not that bad. Besides, I'm pretty sure Roy prefers my company to yours and Wally's."

Robin shrugged nonchalantly. It was probably true. Besides, both of them had the whole 'I hate the world and my mentor/father figure' thing going on. It was a powerful bonding tool apparently. "You guys still haven't told me why you're here. You would've used the comms if it was something to do with Gotham, and I haven't gotten the alert that the Bat Signal was up."

Red Robin folded his arms over his chest. "We just wanted to check out the team you were always talking about. Wanted to make sure that they were as good as you claimed they were. I have yet to be truly impressed. If you wanted to be out of the nest you could've come and joined the Titans."

Robin sniffed. "I'm not truly out of the nest if I jump from the Bat's shadow to my brother's."

Blackbird scoffed. "Be that as it may, I do not see the reason why you to failed to mention Crock's heritage. And it is quite obvious that there are a plethora of secrets being held by each of the team's members."

Red Hood crossed his hands behind his heads and smirked. "And I thought us Bats were supposed to be the secretive ones."

Artemis gaped. They knew? And Robin's brother had just met her and figured it out. He knew her last name too! That wasn't supposed to happen. What was she supposed to do?"

To her surprise, it was Robin who came to her rescue. "It was need to know. I knew and so did Bats. You guys didn't need to know. And while my team might not be perfect, it's just that. My team. If I were you, I would go home before I call Daddybats on you. I might not be eight anymore, but I can still start to cry on cue."

The three brothers made various sounds of amusement before standing up. "Your call Babybird. Let us know if you ever need help. We'll see you at home. Agent A has a roast in the oven and I'm pretty sure he made Death By Chocolate Cake again."

"Now I'm definitely feeling the aster."

The three brothers laughed and Robin followed them to the zeta beams. When the computer announced their departure, Robin turned back to find the team staring at him. "What?"

"You have brothers?" Artemis wasn't sure who exactly asked, but she was pretty sure that the sentiment was shared by everyone except Wally.

"Uh. Yeah. Three of them. You just met them, remember?"

M'gann's hands clapped together. "You guys look so similar! Does Batman also have black hair?"

Robin's head tilted to the side. "Why would Batman have black hair? And why would we look similar?"

"You're brothers. And isn't Batman your father?"

Robin shook his head. "We're not brothers like that M'gann."

Artemis' eyes narrowed. "You mean to tell me that Batman gets around a lot, and knocked up four different women?"

Robin smirked. "More like he has a thing for orphans."

Letting out a cackle at the surprised looks on everyone's faces, Robin went to his room and grabbed his stuff. Whistling, Robin walked past the team who were still frozen in the spot that he had left them at. "Sorry guys, I have a delicious meal waiting for me."

The sound of the zeta beam announcing his departure snapped Artemis out of her stupor. "You mean to tell me that the Goddamn Batman has a bleeding heart and can't stand the sight of little boys suffering?"

M'gann's hands clapped together as she smiled brightly. "I think it was a joke!"

Artemis burst out into laughter with the rest of the team. "Right because Batman would feel moved by some orphan. Can you imagine? Orphans in Gotham probably try to steal the tires off of the Batmobile!"

Wally laughed uneasily. If only Artemis knew how right she was. That Batman did try to save Gotham one orphan at a time. That he had taken in a dirty little boy who had tried to steal the tires off of the Batmobile. And the dead neighbor's kid. And the son he never knew he had had. Not to mention, the little boy who watched his parents die while performing at the circus. But she didn't know. And at the rate she was going, he doubted that she ever would.

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 **A/N: Well...I hoped you guys liked it!**

 **To the guest who calls themselves awesomegirl1010: a few of my favorite photoshoot fanfics are**

 **Photoshoot by _fanficer21_**

 **Magazines and Muscle Shirts by _KittleKat1_**

 **and**

 **Embarrassed Little Robin** **by _Katie-Chan of the leaf village_**

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 **There's a new fanfic/fanart website coming out in December called Writscrib so go check out their tumblr page! I think it looks pretty cool, but that's just me.**

 **If anyone does fanart, and doesn't mind sharing, I would love to see it! I personally love scrolling through fanart, mostly because I can't draw for the life of me and like to see what talented people do with their time.**

 **As usual, review! And check out the poll I have up currently!**


	46. A Fear Like No Other

**A Fear Like No Other**

Robin stumbled along the corridor of the abandoned warehouse. He had to find his friends. He had to find his team. Memories assaulted his mind. His parents falling to their deaths over and over again. The Failsafe simulation. Fighting off the Reds.

Logically, he knew that he had been gassed by Scarecrow's Fear Gas. But that didn't make the memories any less frightening. It didn't change the fact that he was hallucinating the deaths of his teammates. The deaths of each of the League members that he called family. He should call in backup. Batman could come and give them the antidote. But if he called in Bats, the team would never again be allowed into Gotham.

Shaking his head, Robin pushed aside the sounds of screaming and continued down the long hallway. His friends were defenceless right now, and who knew how the gas had affected two aliens and a speedster. He was the only one of them that had ever been exposed before. He was the only one that understood what was happening. That their minds were playing tricks on them. He was the only one that had some sort of immunity built up. It was up to him to save his friends.

There was a door in front of him. Robin inspected it carefully. Scarecrow would probably be behind it with his friends. There was no real way to get through it without the villain noticing, unless? Yes! There was an old air vent connecting the two rooms. The problem would be getting up there and into the rafters without being noticed. There was also the fact that he could hear his parents bodies hitting the ground in his head, so he wasn't exactly feeling traught.

Taking a calming breathe, Robin began to climb to the vent. Once there, he perched himself and listened, hoping to find out whether or not his friends were in there in the first place. If the screams and Scarecrows maniacal laughter were any indication, yes, they were.

Sneaking through the vent wasn't very hard. The hard part would be taking out Scarecrow while still under the effects of a powerful hallucinogen. At least Scarecrow didn't have any henchmen. Robin really hated henchmen.

Taking a deep breathe. Robin counted down. Five. His friends screams filled his ears. Four. He needed to land perfectly or Scarecrow might get away. Three. His hands were shaking slightly. Two. His parents were falling again. One. Batman was dying.

Robin jumped, swallowing down his fear and the image of losing his second father. The air rushed by his face as he landed on Scarecrow's shoulders before springing away. The villain toppled over, and Robin did not give him the opportunity to get back up and fight. He ended things with a brutal roundhouse kick to the head and a pair of Batcuffs. Hopefully the man would wake up with a nasty headache, or better yet a concussion.

Ignoring the hallucination of Wonder Woman being run through with a sword, Robin surveyed the scene, trying to figure out just how he was going to get all his friends to the bioship. That's when he saw it. A shopping cart lying abandoned on its side in the corner of the room. Pushing it over to his friends, Robin somehow managed to shove Superboy and Kaldur inside.

It took a lot of effort to push the shopping cart to the bioship, but Robin managed to get the cart inside and dump his friends before returning for the others. There, he grabbed the three much lighter members of the team and shoved them in the cart. He made sure to take a photo too, as this was probably the most intimate the Wallman would ever get with the fairer gender. Unless he finally realized that he had a thing for Artemis. But that wasn't going to happen for a while as Wally kept accidentally calling her fat. Robin was thirteen, and even he knew better. Granted his adopted father was also a billionaire playboy, but that really had nothing to do with it. He just knew what not to say to a woman.

Seeing as he had once again arrived at the bioship, Robin dumped the rest of his friends before returning the shopping cart and putting a tracer on Scarecrow for the Gotham PD to find. Once again entering the bioship, Robin silently thanked M'gann for taking the time to teach him how to fly it a week before.

Ignoring the hallucination of his dead parents walking around despite their bloody and broken bodies, Robin began the flight home. What was harder to ignore, were the screams coming from his friends. Robin hated listening to the sound of their terror and wondered if that was what Batman felt when he was exposed to the gas. Now he could work through it, but in the beginning, he was just as much of a sobbing and screaming mess as his friends were. It must have terrified Batman to see him that way. Perhaps that was why Batman had grounded Robin for so long after the experience. It had nothing to do with Robin, but rather a terrified parent afraid of watching his child suffer.

Seeing that they were nearing Happy Harbor, Robin took a moment to activate the comm link in his ear. "Robin to Batman. Come in Batman."

Silence greeted him, and for a moment, Robin allowed himself to believe that the hallucination of Batman falling outside the bioship was true. That his belief that it was a hallucination had killed his father.

"Status report Robin."

Robin breathed a sigh of relief. His mentor was okay. He wasn't dead. Robin could land the bioship despite all of the screaming and the hallucinations. "We apprehended Scarecrow Batman but we were gassed in the process."

"How's the team?"

"I don't know. They need the med bay. I need the med bay. I gotta be honest Batman, I can barely tell the difference between the hallucinations and reality. The only reason I know my teammates are alive is because they're still screaming. I had hoped that Wally's metabolism would render the gas useless by now, but apparently not."

Batman was silent for a moment. "Can you land the bioship?"

"I don't see much of a choice here Batman. If you talk me through it and have a team ready to transport us to medical, I think we'll be good."

"You probably know more about operating a martian ship than I do."

Robin sighed. For a genius, the man sure was obtuse sometimes. "I meant talk to me. Help me figure out what's real and what's not real. I gotta be honest Bman. There's a you standing next to me and yelling at me, and he looks very real."

"He's not. I'm arriving at the cave right now. Are you afraid of me?"

It took Robin a moment to realize why Batman was asking the question. He then proceeded to kick himself for being stupid enough to mention it to Batman. The guy was seriously insecure when it came to his parenting. "No. Well in a way yes. I'm afraid of you rejecting me. Can we change the topic?"

"I am too, you know. Afraid that one day I won't be good enough for you." There was a pause and Robin took the moment to process Batman's words before he started to speak again. "Robin. I have visual on the bioship. Start your gradual descent."

Robin did as told and started his descent. He had to focus on bringing the bioship to the hangar. Normally, they didn't try and land in the hangar, but there was no way that M'gann would be able to telepathically command the ship any time soon. It was more than likely that Batman would demand that at the very least Miss Martian be sedated to keep her from broadcasting her fears or anyone else's.

Robin listened carefully to Batman's or rather Bruce's voice as he landed the ship. Gone was Batman's standard growl, replaced by the smooth baritone of Bruce Wayne's voice. It was relaxing. And comforting. And before he knew it, the bioship was opening and Flash was zipping around and grabbing each of his friends to bring to the med bay.

Robin stood and watched as Batman approached and swept him under his cave. It was warm there, and more importantly, safe. He was finally safe. So when he heard the capsule break under his nose, Robin didn't fight it. He breathed in the gas and allowed himself to drift into unconsciousness. Knowing that when he woke up, everything would be better.

###

Artemis woke up with her head throbbing. Images of her father danced across her mind as she surveyed her surroundings. They were at the cave. In the med bay to be more specific. But how had that happened? Last thing she remembered was being in the warehouse in Gotham. She remembered Robin yelling at the team not to breathe something in. And then...fear. She remembered fear. So much fear. What had happened? Had their mentors saved them?

Around her, her friends started to wake up. All except Robin who seemed to be clutching Batman's cape tightly around him. Why wasn't he waking up? Had something happened? Was he injured?

The door to the med bay opened, and Artemis jerked around to see all of their mentors walk in, even Superman. Batman looked odd without his cape, but what surprised her was that he sent an almost fond smile in Robin's direction. "I assume that you guys have questions for us?"

Kaldur cleared his throat and Artemis turned back to see that everyone but Robin was sitting up in their cots. "May I presume that one of us sent a distress signal to the Justice League? Forgive me, I do not recall what happened."

Batman ignored the question and walked over to Robin, running a gentle hand through his hair before he began to check the boy's vitals. Finally he said, "You presume wrong. Robin was able to rescue you and move you to the bioship before bringing you back here."

M'gann started to cry. "It was so awful! I kept seeing all of these things, and I couldn't make it stop! I couldn't think anymore!"

"That would be the fear gas. Crane must have modified his formula. My initial analysis has shown slight traces of Kryptonite which is why it was able to affect Superboy. It also has a chemical in it that the gas binds to, but the body is unable to metabolize, which is why Wally was affected. I'm not sure yet how he got it to effect an Atlantean and a Martian as well, but I will continue to investigate. However, the most troubling news is that Crane was prepared for your team specifically. Rest assured, the matter will swiftly be dealt with."

The team took a moment to process the information. "So if Robin wasn't gassed, why is he knocked out right now?" Artemis had to admire Conner's blunt nature. It was swift and to the point.

Batman glanced at them and smirked. "Who said he wasn't gassed?"

Artemis was the first to connect the dots. "Wait, what? If he was hit by the fear gas, then how did he get us out of there? Shouldn't he have been crippled by fear too?"

"You learn to work through it. This wasn't the first time Robin was exposed, and I doubt that it will be the last."

"If he saw anything remotely as bad as I did, then he wouldn't have been able to work through it. I doubt you could either."

Batman crossed his arms over his chest, and without the cape, Artemis could see his muscles bulging. She may not have been able to see his facial expression, but Artemis could feel the rage radiating off of him in waves. "I would suggest Miss Crock, that you never make such implications again. Especially in front of Robin. You really think that the origin story of someone they call the Dark Knight would be pleasant? How about the origin story of a child who decides at the age of eight that he has to be a hero? Despite what you and many others believe Miss Crock, Robin is not biologically related to me in any way."

Artemis paled. Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut for once in her life! She just had to piss off the Goddamn Batman of all people. And by the looks of it, the other mentors did not want to get between them and risk Batman's ire.

She was saved by an unlikely source. Robin let out a cute groaning noise before patting around him as if looking for something. When he didn't find it, his face scrunched up and he sat up. When he saw Batman hovering over him, he offered a blinding grin. "Nothing like a forcefully induced nap and the fear gas antidote to brighten up your day! Hey B? Are we still on for patrol tonight? I believe someone promised me driving lessons!"

Batman shook his head, but Artemis paid him no mind. How was Robin acting so _normal_? Hadn't he just witnessed his greatest fears on repeat? She voiced her original question, and Robin looked at her like she was the crazy one. "Of course I'm okay! I mean, sure it sucks to watch all those you love and care about die gruesome deaths over and over again, but doesn't that make you feel the aster too? Everyone I love is still alive right now, and I'm about to drive the Batmobile! I'm not naive, one day, we will all die. But until then, I'm going to enjoy everything life has to give me, even the sucky parts."

Artemis watched with some sort of indistinguishable emotion as Robin jumped out of the cot, having taken off the IV, the heart monitor, and the blood pressure cuff at some point in their conversation. The boy practically sprinted to the zeta beam with Batman's cape trailing behind him. Batman followed at a more demure pace, but his frown did not seem nearly as severe as usual. He looked almost...happy? Or at least something along that line.

When the zeta beam announced their departure, Artemis turned back to the team. All of them were quietly talking with their mentors, but M'gann caught her eye. Giving her a small smile, M'gann sent her a thought. _Perhaps Robin is more mature than we give him credit for._

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 **A/N: So I finally updated. It hasn't been that long has it? Like 10 days or something. I promise I'll try and update sooner if I get more prompt ideas! Is my bribery working? Do you feel compelled to send me more prompts so that I will continue updating on a frequent basis? If not, then I guess my evil plan has failed. Obviously, I need to think of a different career option as 'villain' has fallen through.**

 **Hope you liked this chapter and please review!**


	47. Magic Sucks Part 1

**Magic Sucks Part 1**

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 **A/N: So basically it is character-person's body**

 **(EX: Robin-Aqualad would be Robin in Aqualad's body.)**

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Robin stared hard at the creepy magician in front of them. Sure, a life of petty crime didn't pay well, but that was hardly an excuse not to bathe. Even street kids in Gotham smelled better than this guy, and that was saying something!

On the bright side, the creep was not exactly challenging. In fact, this was probably one of their smoothest missions yet. For the first time ever, everyone seemed to be using their powers to the best of their ability and working in perfect unison. Robin loved it. It was almost like working with Batman. He knew every move that his teammates were going to make before they made them. It was asterous. Like everything involving the team, it didn't last long. The magician cast a spell, and his vision flashed bright white.

When his vision finally cleared, he was holding a bow. Looking down at himself, he discovered that he was wearing green and that his midriff was bare. "Crap."

###

Artemis felt herself falling. When she hit the ground, she brought a confused hand up to her head. Where she noticed it was green. Looking down at herself, she realized that she was in Miss Martian's body. What was worse, was that she could hear everybody's thoughts. Aqualad's were coming from Kid Flash's body, Superboy's were coming from Robin's body, Miss Martian's were coming from Aqualad's, and Kid Idiot's were coming from Superboy's. She couldn't hear anything coming from her own body, so she assumed that that was Robin. Miss Martian had once confided that she could never hear Robin's thoughts unless he wanted her to, and that he always seemed to know when she tried to poke around his mind.

Her attention was drawn back to the magician who was dancing around happily. "There's no way that you will ever defeat me now! Not when you don't have mastery over each other's powers!"

Superboy growled. It was weird to see Robin's body make that sound, but Artemis tried to ignore it, and instead focus on getting a handle on M'gann's powers. Easy right?

Aqualad was trying to give orders, but his words were too fast for anyone to understand. Artemis had a brief flash of sympathy. It must be hard for Wally to constantly slow himself down for the world around him. As fast as it came, it left. This was not the time or place for sympathy. Especially for Wally.

Suddenly Robin yelled from his position in her body and tackled Superboy-Robin, narrowly missing being hit by a bolt of magic. "Watch it Superboy! Your body might be indestructible, but mine isn't! I'd like my body to be in one piece when I return to it, thank you very much!"

Kid Idiot-Superboy flashed a grin. "Don't worry guys, I got this!" Artemis couldn't help but worry the second he said that.

Kid Idiot-Superboy jumped, probably planning to land on the creepy magician. Instead, he jumped high enough that his head went through the ceiling and he got stuck. The magician started laughing hard enough that he actually fell over. If Artemis could actually sort through her the thoughts invading her head, she might have tried to use Miss Martian's powers to kick the creep's ass. But as it was, she was pretty much useless.

Miss Martian-Aqualad approached slowly. "Can anyone tell me how I can use these water thingies? I do not want to accidentally hurt one of you guys."

Artemis was ready to hand in the towel. Turning to Aqualad-Kid Flash, she was about to demand that he do the leaderish thing and call in the League. The idiot magician was kicking their asses. Instead, she watches as her body slowly stands up and smirks.

"Hey what do you call a bad magician who's about to get his butt kicked?"

The magician growled. Robin-Artemis took that as encouragement and put a hand on his (her?) hip cockily. "I forgot. What did you say your name was again?"

The magician howled in rage and aimed a magic bolt at her poor body. Robin-Artemis dove out of the way just in time, rolling into a crouch and expertly pulling an arrow out of her quiver. Letting the arrow fly, Robin's smirk widened. "Night night loser."

Artemis watched in wonder as the arrow turned into Green Arrow's signature boxing glove arrow. The only one that she kept in her quiver. It punched the magician in the face, knocking him out instantly. How had Robin known what arrow it was? And more importantly, why did Robin know how to fire an arrow?

Robin-Artemis saw all of the amazed stares and rolled his (her?) eyes. "Supey. Walk over here. I need the batcuffs. It's in the pocket in the very back."

Superboy-Robin started to open a pocket. "No the one to the right. That one has a concussion grenade. We really won't be feeling the aster if that goes off."

Superboy-Robin growled but did as instructed. "Why don't you just grab it?"

Catching the cuffs that Superboy-Robin tossed his way, Robin-Artemis rolled his eyes. "Because the belt reads biometrics. If anyone but me, Batman, or Agent A tries to remove it or access it's contents, they will receive quite the nasty surprise."

Artemis couldn't help herself. "Who's Agent A?"

Robin-Artemis didn't respond for a moment and Artemis feared that he wouldn't answer. "Let's just say that he's the man behind the scenes. You'll meet him when the time is right and not before. Now will someone call the League? No offense, but I don't trust Artemis to control Miss M's powers or the bioship."

The team just blinked again, before Aqualad-Kid Flash nodded. "That is a good idea my friend. I will call for League assistance. Hopefully, they will know how to revert us to our own bodies."

Robin-Artemis nodded his head once. "But you're explaining this mess to Batman."

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Batman arrived with the rest of the league to find the team sitting around lazily. He was about to ask why the League was called, when Artemis bounded up to him. "Batman! Man am I glad to see you!"

Batman blinked. It was Artemis's voice and body, but she moved with the unmistakeable grace of a Flying Grayson. "Aqualad. Report."

Kid Flash stepped forward. "The magician was able to hit us with a spell that transferred our conscience into each other's bodies." It was only due to years of experience with Flash, that Batman was able to understand the boy's rapid speech.

"Superman. Call in Zatara. Tell him that this is a priority one."

Green Arrow rubbed his mustache thoughtfully. "How did you guys defeat him? I assume you were unable to master each other's powers in such a short period of time."

Robin's body grunted and crossed his arms. _Superboy_. "Robin."

Batman turned expectantly to Green Arrow's protege. Well, technically his protege in Artemis' body. The girl shrugged before smiling mischievously. "I guess all that archery training paid off. The magic creep stood no chance against the boxing glove arrow."

Green Arrow cried out, "I told you that it could be useful!" before Batman was able to say anything of actual importance.

Miss Martian's body slid up next to Green Arrow. "I just don't get how he knew how to fire a bow. Or how he new which arrow was which in my quiver."

"I know how to use most weapons. Did you really think that I only knew how to use escrima sticks? They're just my weapon of choice. I also know how to use a boa staff, a katana, knives, sais, nunchucks, well you get the point. As for how I knew how you organized your quiver, Red Arrow has been my best friend for years. You both organize it the same way Green Arrow does."

Artemis looked like she was ready to yell at his protege, but Superman awkwardly interrupted her. "Zatara said he would meet us at the cave. Uh. I hear Lois yelling for me. If we're done here?"

With that, Superman flew out of the building, without so much as a backwards glance. Batman shared a glance with his partner before he nodded. "We'll meet you at the cave." Both partner and mentor disappeared in the shadows before grappling up to the awaiting Batjet.

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Flash stared at the shadows with a gaping mouth. "Did you see that?"

Green Arrow nodded slowly. "If by that, you mean the shadows seemed to grow and swallow Bats and Artemis than yes. Yes I did."

Flash nodded slowly. "Are we sure that they don't have powers?"

"Well yes. I mean Robin still did it even though he's in Artemis' body. And Superboy isn't having any problems with the shadows jumping out of him. Right?" Green Arrow looked uncharacteristically uncertain and stared at the Super who was currently inhabiting Robin's body.

"No."

Green Arrow stared at the spot where the Bats had disappeared. "If I didn't already have a very healthy dose of respect for them, I think that this moment would have sealed the deal."

"You mean fear, right?"

Green Arrow looked over at Flash, before nodding seriously. "That too, buddy. That too."

The team stared at the spot where Robin-Artemis had disappeared to earlier. They couldn't help but silently agree with the two veteran heroes. Not that they would ever tell Robin. He would never let them hear the end of it.

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 **A/N: So part 1 of 2. Or what I think will be 2 parts. Thank you owllover22161 for the lovely idea, though I did take some creative liberties from your original prompt. Please review or PM your thoughts about this chapter!**

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 **Question: Who do you think the Robin in the Young Justice Season 3 promo pics is?**

 **My Answer: Damian Wayne! Did you see the hood? If Dick Grayson plays Batman and we get to see a little bit of their partnership, I will totally fangirl and freak out. As Damian once said, they were the best. Oh my god, I'm getting excited just thinking about it! But I'm kinda nervous too. Like what if it's a total disappointment and I'm upset I watched it? Don't mind me, I'm basically rambling and freaking out.**

 **Ooh! And I'm sorry for not updating in so long but college is a bitch and I had multiple English midterms due not to mention a chem midterm I needed to study for. (Bring the praise...I got a 99 on my chem midterm and a 95 and a 90 on my English midterms...I guess all the studying and editing was worth it, though I much rather have been writing fanfic!)**


	48. Magic Sucks Part 2

**Magic Sucks Part 2**

Robin was staring at Batman. Or more accurately, Robin was staring at Batman who was staring at him. Apparently his mentor was not taking the whole _My protege is stuck in Artemis' body_ thing well. Not that Robin could blame him. He would freak out too if Batman was stuck in Oliver's body. Or worse, Wonder Woman's. The point being, his mentor had the right to be slightly freaked out at the moment.

The only problem was, that the whole staring thing left to a very awkward plane ride. Neither of them was talking, and Robin didn't exactly know how to start the conversation. Which is probably why he blurted out the first thing on his mind. "Do you think it's weird that I named my favorite gargoyle?"

Batman gave him an amused look before grunting. "You're the only kid I know that has a favorite gargoyle."

Silence once again reigned over the jet. Batman sighed slightly before taking the bait. "What did you name it?"

Robin gave his mentor his best shit eating grin. "Bruce. He's got the whole strong, silent, and brooding thing going on."

Robin took pride in the nearly inaudible snort that Batman let out. Though his mentor would never ever admit it, he totally found that comment funny. It also did it's job. There was a lot less tension in the air and Robin felt that the usual comradery was once again firmly in place.

Leaning back in his chair, Robin kicked his feet up on top of the consel. It was weird seeing Artemis' boots instead of his own. Almost like he had chosen to play dress up. "It's weird being in Artemis' body. My center of gravity is off, and I'm taller than usual."

Batman nodded silently, but chose not to comment. Robin would have phrased it as a question if he wanted a response.

"What if we get in another fight and I can't keep up? It was pure luck when I went up against the magician that we were able to win!"

"It wasn't luck, it was extensive training. Luck is for people who don't have the skill to come out on top. You do. Your body will be restored as soon as we get to the cave. I doubt that the magician is better than Zatarra."

Robin quirked a small smile and moved to stand behind his mentor. Giving into the urge, he leaned down and wrapped his arms around his mentors neck, giving him a brief kiss on the cheek. "Thanks Bruce. You're the best dad anyone could ask for."

Batman grunted, and awkwardly patted one of Robin's hands. The boy (girl?) let out a small chuckle and let go, settling himself back into his seat. "I'm gonna take a nap. Maybe when I wake up, this mess will be behind me."

Batman watched as Robin quickly fell asleep. Shaking his head a little, Batman let a wry smirk creep across his face. Wait until he told Alfred. The man might break British decorum and laugh.

###

Robin-Artemis was leaning against a shadowed wall and watching as his teammates floundered around with their new powers, or in Superboy's case, his lack of. Robin felt bad for his body as Superboy rammed it into corners and walls, each time shouting in pain. It reminded Robin of the one time Batman had spiked Superman's coffee with Kryptonite powder and for all of thirty minutes, the Man of Steel could feel pain. Apparently, Kryptonians did not like the feeling very much.

It was also amusing to see KF try to control Superboy's strength and to see Artemis flounder with M'gann's telepathy. Robin supposed he was lucky that he exchanged bodies with the only other non powered member of the team. Even if he was now stuck in a girl's body. On bright side Zatarra was here, and the magician seemed confident in his ability to reverse the magic.

Seeing that Zatarra was done, Robin emerged from the shadows and came to a stop next to the magician. Zatarra jumped slightly before shaking his head. "I assume that you are Robin. Even with a different body, your ability to disappear and reappear from the shadows has not diminished. I believe Wonder Woman and Black Canary will be happy to cash in."

Robin tilted his head to the side and gave his best innocent look. "They made a bet that you would be able to disappear no matter what, as it was not a power. The rest of the League believed that you and Batman shared a power to control the shadows."

Robin blinked owlishly. But internally, he smirked. The two lovely ladies would be splitting the cash with him, as he was the one to suggest the bet in the first place, knowing that he would win. Knowing that Robin always won any bet he made, the ladies had been quick to agree. Basically, it had been easy money, which was great. Despite being a billionaire, Bruce could be a little stingy when it came to his allowance.

Robin was brought back to the present when Zatarra called the rest of the team over. He stood confidently as Zatarra shouted out, "Og kcab ot ruoy tcerroc seidob won!" He felt a small tingling sensation before the world went black.

###

When he woke up, Robin was comforted by the fact that he was wearing a familiar black cape with a canary yellow lining. Grinning, he shifted his gaze upwards to find his mentor hovering over him. To anyone else, it would look like Batman was just standing by his protege, but Robin could feel the concern radiating from him and could see the way one gloved hand kept twitching, as if to reach out to him.

Grin widening, Robin flipped onto his hands and then onto his feet. "Hey B, wanna see the new move I've been developing? It involves a midair roundhouse kick and the use of at least one concussion grenade!"

There was the faintest trace of a fond look as Batman grunted. "At the Cave. Say goodbye Robin."

Despite the fact that Batman had said to say goodbye, the man was already dragging him out by the cape. Robin allowed himself to be dragged, grinning and waving the whole time. "Goodbye Robin! We'll see you tomorrow!"

The group left in the cave blinked as the watched the protectors of Gotham disappear. "I don't think I'll ever get used to those two."

The group turned to Green Arrow in shock before murmuring their agreements. It was doubtful that anyone would ever be used to their dynamic. Unless there was suddenly a second Robin. But how likely was it that that would happen?

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 **A/N: So an explanation of my absence...long story short, I was really sick, then I had midterms...then I was really sick...then I had more midterms...then I was in the hospital...then I had finals...and here we are today! I thank the people who sent me PM's asking if I was okay...I responded today. I would've responded earlier but I wasn't on the site for the last few months. Anyways, I hope you guys liked it and I hope to update again soon.**

 **Okay...let me know what your most looking forward to for Winter break!**

 **I'm looking forward to spending stress free (hopefully) time with my family and my best friend, who is also home on winter break.**


	49. Money Stashes and Secrets

**Money Stashes and Secrets**

Robin pursed his lips as Superman explained all the 'reasons' that the team would not be going to the grand opening of the new science and art museum. Apparently they didn't have the 'budget'. Which was code for Bruce not wanting to pay for the trip.

It was supposed to be a fun day. They would get to act like normal teenagers for once, and they could forget their worries. Robin would even receive extra credit in his advanced biology class, which was a good thing if you asked him. Late nights protecting the city could put a dent in one's grades. And he really didn't want Bruce to ground him. Again.

Which is why he was now hanging out in the cave, commiserating with Wally about how miserable they were. And successfully making everyone else miserable in the process. Robin wondered if maybe they should have been trying to do something fun. Like go to the movies. Or to a Hollywood premiere. Though that would probably get him in more trouble. Alfred would probably defend him. Bruce had never specifically said that he couldn't go to a Hollywood premiere with the team after all.

Wally flopped onto the couch dramatically landing half on top of Artemis and successfully snapping Robin out of his musings. "I just wish we had the money to buy tickets for ourselves!"

"Even if we had the money, we would still need transportation, my friend." Kaldur was always the voice of reason.

Artemis shoved Wally off of her. "Yeah. And it would have to be something the League couldn't track. So we can't use our bikes, or the bioship. Or any of our credit cards for that matter. Not that I have the money."

Robin adjusted his sunglasses. "So, if I could get the money and a vehicle, you guys would be up for sneaking out of here?"

"Dude. None of us have a driver's licence."

Robin shrugged, unconcerned. "Just tell Roy we're sneaking out against GA's wishes. That will get him on board. Otherwise, I'm sure Agent A would be willing. Though Batman is more likely to bury us alive if I involve Agent A."

Artemis' eyebrow rose, but she didn't ask. "Where are you getting the money, and what are we doing about the car?"

Robin grinned. "How good is your impersonation of a Gotham Crime Lord?"

###

M'gann's eyes widened as Robin tossed a duffle bag filled with cash on the ground. "How did you get so much money? Won't Batman notice?"

Robin shrugged unconcerned. "It's mine. And Batman won't notice because I didn't get it from the ATM. I had it hidden in my mattress. I was saving for the day that I wanted to do something without B's permission."

Wally blinked. "Dude. This isn't your allowance money is it? Because I know you deposit that."

"No this is the money my Dad gives me every morning for lunch while he's half asleep. It's been years, and he still hasn't figured out that I bring my own lunch to school."

Roy zetaed into the room to find Robin with a bag of cash, and the team staring at him dumbfounded. He knew he should have stayed at home.

###

Artemis adjusted her sunglasses and fedora. Why did Robin even have a fedora in his room? Did he impersonate Gotham thugs in his spare time? Behind her, Conner crossed his arms and made a small huffing noise. What was a Gotham crime lord without her hired muscle?

They were in the shadiest region of Happy Harbor, and standing in front of what Artemis suspected was a chop shop. The owner had been quite happy to supply her with a car, when she had shown him the bag of cash. It was only a matter of time before they were out of there. Hopefully, it was before Batman magically found out where they were. Robin probably had more trackers on him than he was aware of. Though he did make a show of sticking at least twenty of them on some high schooler, claiming that he would retrieve them later. Artemis wasn't really sure how, but she got the feeling that this wasn't the first time that Robin had done something like this.

After retrieving the car, Conner gave one last glare at the owner of the chop shop and tossed him the bag of cash. He then ushered Artemis behind the wheel and got in the passenger side. Artemis felt slightly relieved that her father had taught her how to drive at a young age. Though she didn't have a legal licence, hence the need for Roy.

Driving slowly, she brought the car into an alley two blocks away, where the team climbed in, and she allowed Roy to take the wheel. She glanced at a smirking Robin, and wondered yet again, how much that boy knew.

"You do a very convincing Gotham crime lord for someone who doesn't live in Gotham Artemis. You must learn a lot when you visit your cousin. Who lives in Gotham. Where you do not live."

"I have to be ready for anything. And don't you always say that anything goes in Gotham?"

"Touché."

###

The museum was awesome. Robin was still grinning as he walked into the cave. He had managed to sneak a selfie as Dick Grayson, so he was so getting that extra credit. He was glad that they had snuck out. Now he just had to make sure that Batman never found out.

He voiced this to the team as they settled down on the couch. They all muttered their agreements. "Unfortunately for you, it's too late for that."

Robin was proud that he was the only one that didn't flinch, at the sudden appearance of his mentor. "How'd you figure it out? We were pretty careful."

"Agent A assured me of your safety after I was alerted that your trackers were entering a drug den."

Robin groaned. "I knew I should have attached them to Barbara Gordon. She would never go into a drug den."

"I found evidence of the money stashed in your mattress. Care to explain yourself?"

Robin's lip wobbled slightly, and he knew Batman could see the tears welling up behind his sunglasses. They were fake of course, but Batman didn't have to know that. "Catwoman says my obsessive need to hide money has to do with my upbringing. She also thinks that your suspicious nature and secretive lifestyle really didn't help rectify my issues."

Batman seemed at a loss for words for the first time ever. Which is how Wally got the chance to blurt out, "Dude! I thought Catwoman was your mom, not your counselor! Does that mean the rumors about Batman and Wonder Woman are true?"

"No Catwoman is definitely the 'mom' in my life. Though I'm pretty sure Wonder Woman wants to get some of that. But seriously, Batman and Catwoman have a thing. Everybody knows that. Though it is an 'on again, off again thing'. Quite frankly it's annoying. I'm never sure if they are gonna start making out or not."

"Robin." Dick could hear the unsaid, _Shut up if you know what's good for you_ that was so heavily implied by Batman's tone.

"I'm just saying. Your relationship gives me whiplash. I'm young, I need stability in my life!"

The glare Batman was giving him increased in intensity. Robin sighed. "Yeah. Yeah. I'm grounded until society deems me old enough to live on a college campus, and not just smart enough to take online college classes. Sheesh. I think you need a new tag line Boss. That one's so old I can see it coming faster than Wally can empty the fridge."

"Batcave. Now."

Robin rolled his eyes dramatically. "I'll see you guys as soon as my sentence is waived."

Batman's glare spoke volumes about when they would next see their friend. Robin laughed as his mentor dragged him out of the room muttering that he was never going to be let out of the house again.

Only Conner heard Robin quip, "Not if Agent A has anything to do with it." But he chose not to mention it to the rest of the team. It would only raise more questions. There were already more than enough mysteries surrounding their friend.

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 **A/N: I could try explaining why I haven't updated in so long, but honestly that would probably have a higher word count than this chapter does. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter, and let me know what you want to see next!**

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 **I was thinking of joining AO3, would you guys be interested in me posting my stories there as well. Its not like it won't be the same stuff available here so...**


	50. A Darker Shade of Justice

**A Darker Shade of Justice**

Wally was just chilling when it happened. Batman stormed through the Zeta Beam like a horde of angry bats were chasing him, all the while clutching something to his chest. "Call Doctor Mid-Nite. Tell him is a Code Red, and to get his ass here now!"

Wally didn't bother asking questions. He just ran. Batman calling a Code Red was the equivalent of the apocalypse. And the last thing he wanted was for Batman to turn around and blame him when the world ended.

Getting Doctor Mid-Nite was easier than expected. Explaining to him the importance of rushing, however, was not. The good doctor didn't care to hurry, and since Wally had no clue what the emergency was, he couldn't exactly explain the rush. But he knew Batman well enough to know that something catastrophic was happening.

It seemed like hours, but was probably only minutes, before Wally was able to corral Doctor Mid-Nite into the cave. By then, Batman had laid something small and unmoving in the med bay. It took longer than Wally would have liked to admit to realize that the thing in the med bay was his best friend. And that was a scary thought. He had never seen his friend lie that still before. He had never seen Robin that quiet. He should have been spouting some sort of sarcastic quip by now.

Even scarier was the paleness of Robin's skin. Robin had always had a golden tan to his skin in the summer, a tan so perfect that Wally had once asked what his ethnicity was. That had been a huge mistake. His friend had immediately shut down, and had ignored his calls for weeks. After trying to talk about it, Wally had taken the hint and had never mentioned it again. Though come to think of it, their friendship was like that. Robin probably knew him better than he knew himself, yet Wally couldn't claim to know the simplest thing about Robin. Like where he was born, or whether or not he had had a childhood pet.

Wally was startled when he felt himself being physically lifted and hauled out of the room. Realizing that it was Batman, did nothing to calm his nerves. Instead, it made him fight harder. "Stop! That's my friend! He needs me!"

"He's my son! And what he needs right now, is for the Doctor Mid-Nite to work on him. So calm down, and let him do his job. Get your friends in here, you'll need them."

Wally felt himself take a deep breathe. He needed to stay calm for Robin. He knew, logically, that Batman cared for his partner. Robin had often told him how much Batman felt when Wally complained about what an emotionless robot the man was. It was just weird hearing Batman admit to it. And weirder still to hear Batman say that Robin was his son. Not even Robin would admit what their relationship was.

Wally watched as Batman turned to the Zeta Beams and started to fiddle with it. He was about to step through the beam when Wally managed to find his voice. "Where are you going? Robin needs you!"

"I'm going to go teach a clown the definition of a joke." With that Batman disappeared in a bright flash of light.

###

The first thing Robin registered was the pain. It was excruciating. It was mind-numbing. It was comforting. He was alive. Joker hadn't gotten the best of him this time. Joker. Why did that feel so important? He opened his eyes with a gasp. Batman!

He felt, more than saw, people shifting around him. "Robin! You're okay!" And that was definitely Wally. Nobody else could speak that fast.

Sitting up with a groan, Robin blinked and watched as his vision adjusted. He was in the cave, which was odd. Batman usually liked to take care of injuries at the Batcave. Though now that he thought about it, he remembered Batman saying something about Leslie being out of town.

Batman. Joker. He had to think! God, concussions sucked. He needed to do something. Something important. Batman! "Batman needs me!"

M'gann laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Batman's fine Robin. He was here earlier."

Robin shook his head and tried to stay focused. "No. You don't get it. He needs me to stop him."

It was Kaldur who tried to placate him next. "Batman is by far one of the most capable heroes alive. I am sure that he will be fine."

Robin shook his head again. "No. He won't be. I need my phone. I have to call him."

The team shared a look that Robin couldn't quite decipher. Granted, it was hard to decipher anything when your head was spinning. Luckily, his friends handed him his 'work phone', which only had contacts for the superhero community and had no link to Dick Grayson.

The first thing he did was call Batman. It went straight to voicemail. Growling, he called the person he knew he would always depend on, Alfred. He picked up on the first ring. "Master Robin! How are you feeling? You gave Master Batman and I quite the fright."

"I'm fine Agent A. I'm more worried about B. He's not picking up. You and I both know that that's not a good sign."

There was a deep sigh on the other end of the phone. "I know Master Robin." Robin heard him take another breathe and he could imagine Alfred straightening himself and stealing his resolve. "However, at the moment, I am more worried about you. I will not have you running after him."

Robin closed his eyes and took a deep breathe. "I need you running point in the cave. I'm sending Clark. I need you to activate B's tracker and give him directions."

"Master Robin, is that wise?"

"It's the only option right now. B will have to get over it. Clark will call in a few for directions."

Robin didn't bother saying goodbye, knowing that Alfred was used to Bruce just hanging up on him. Frowning slightly, Robin called Clark. As usual, the man picked up right away and started making small talk. "Glad to hear from you Robin. I was so worried when B told me that you were injured. Did he make it out to be worse than it was?"

"I haven't had time to look at my chart yet Clark. I can tell you that one of my lungs was punctured. But that's not the reason that I called. I need you to go get B for me. He's gonna get himself in trouble. Agent A will give you directions."

There was a pause before Clark let out a sigh. "You can relax Robin. I'll protect him. Get some rest, you need it."

Robin hung up and sunk into his bed with a sigh. Giving a small smile to his team, Robin allowed himself to relax for the first time. Batman would be fine. Clark would protect him in Robin's stead.

Wally was the one who asked the question on everyone's mind. "What's going on? Why are you so worried about Batman?"

Robin just closed his eyes. It took so long for him to answer that the team thought that he was going to ignore the question. "What did he say to you before he left?"

"Something about teaching a clown what funny meant. Why?"

Robin made a vague gesture with his hands. "This is the Joker's idea of a joke. He tied Batman up and made him watch as he took a baseball bat to me. Batman managed to escape and grab me before the Joker could move on to testing his knife collection. Batman went back to finish the job. And by now, the Joker's in a full body cast, if not worse. That's why I sent Superman. Not because Batman needs help to take down Joker, but because he needs someone to stop him from doing something he regrets."

Conner crossed his arms and let out a huff. "Batman is the definition of control. I highly doubt he needs Superman's help of all people."

Giving a wry smile, Robin shook his head. "I don't think you guys get it. Last year for Christmas, Joker replaced all the presents under the city's Christmas tree with bombs. The year before that, he placed body parts in each gift. And when you add Harley to the mix, his 'jokes' get more and insane. It wears on one's control. Especially when someone you care for is hurt."

"Why not just kill him and get it over with?"

Robin gave Artemis an appraising look. She was from Gotham, and she was asking the one question that he was sure every single Gothamite had wondered in the last few years. Robin chuckled darkly. Whoever did manage to kill the Joker would probably be named a hero in Gotham.

"Because we fight bad guys with zero moral code. We need a way to be able to say that what we do is different. That we're better. We need to be better than those we put away."

Another question was about to be asked, but Flash walked in and interrupted. "Robin. I'm here to bring you back to th Batcave. Supes is waiting with a very impatient Daddybats."

"Joker?"

"Alive and in a body cast. He'll be sent to Arkham in the morning. Oh. And Harley sends her regards. Said she was glad that you weren't dead, and that maybe Mr. J took it a little too far because you weren't singing in the end. Whatever that means."

Robin shook his head slightly as he struggled to stand. Well sit. In the waiting wheelchair. "You really don't want to know." Turning to the team. Robin offered a slight smile. "Next time you see me, I'll be as good as new, so stop worrying. Besides, I've been doing this for much longer than any of you. And if you think this is bad, you should see what happens when Joker gets a hold of a crowbar."

The team wasn't sure what to think as they watched Flash wheel a cackling Robin out the door. Just about how much damage was one villain capable of? And how much had Robin seen in his time as a hero?

###

Bruce impatiently tapped his foot and scratched at the IV in his arm. Clark had told him that he had spoken to Dick. Alfred had said the same. Clark had also said that he had sent Barry to bring Dick home. Yet Dick wasn't here yet. What if something had happened to Dick after he had hung up? What if Doctor Mid-Nite had missed something? Maybe he should go to the cave.

Bruce stood to get up and was immediately shoved back down, gently, by Clark. "Give him a few minutes Bruce. Barry probably has to drag Dick away from Wally. You know how they are."

That did nothing to calm Bruce's nerves. Nothing would until he saw Dick again. If the look Alfred was sending him was anything to go by, his butler was considering sedating him.

When the Zeta Beams activated, Bruce couldn't help but hold his breath. He was able to let it out when he saw Dick smiling as Barry pushed him in his wheelchair. HIs smile grew ten times brighter when he spotted him. "Bruce! I'm so glad you're alright!"

"I think that's our cue to go." Bruce barely spared Clark a glance as the man dragged Barry through the Zeta Beams, ignoring the Speedster's cry of wanting to see Daddybats in action.

Taking a deep breath, Bruce gave Dick a small smile. "I think that's my line Chum. You had me really nervous there for a while."

"So did you."

"I, um, I—"

Dick knew that Bruce was trying to tell him that he loved him. He also knew that Bruce had a problem saying the actual words sometimes. So he took pity on the poor man that alternated between being a father and a mentor for him. "Me too, Bruce. Me too."

With that, all was quiet and content again in the cave. And from a dark shadow in the corner of the room, the butter finished recording the scene before him with a content smile on his face. The video would serve as a good reminder for what they fought and sacrificed for every day. It would also serve as good blackmail for when a certain stubborn bat and bird wanted to go out on patrol instead of staying on bed rest like they were supposed to. But until then, the video would be for his viewing pleasure only.

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 **A/N: I really liked this chapter, so I hope that you did too!**

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 **Sneak peak at the next chapters (multi fic):**

 **Alien invasion centered in Gotham**

 **Gotham Sirens**

 **Missing core members of the JLA**

 **Commisioner Gordon**

 **Badass Alfred**

 **Arkham**

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 **Did anyone appreciate my reference to Jason's death? I love Jason, so I felt the need to include him.**


	51. The End of the World (part 1)

**The End of the World (Part 1)**

Robin woke up with a groan. He was tied to a chair, in his underwear. What the hell was going on? Blinking slowly, Robin realized that he was wearing a mask, and that the rest of the team surrounded him in various states of undress.

They were at the Mount Justice. Was this supposed to be some sort of test? No. Batman wouldn't do something like this without warning. Well, he would, but the rest of the League would never allow it. Which once again raised the question: what the hell was going on?

Hearing the automatic door swoosh open, Robin hastily slumped back down in his seat and pretended to be unconscious. Slowly slitting one eye open, Robin watched as a group of what were probably aliens walked in. They had gaping mouths filled with razor teeth, flaring nostrils, and humongous floppy ears. Robin couldn't tell if they had eyes or not, but they had taken his whole team down, so he supposed it did not matter.

He listened as they 'conversed'. Really it was a bunch of mumbled grunts, but Robin had practice deciphering 'Bat speak' so he was able to pick out a few words. Words that made his stomach churn.

 _Gotham_

 _JLA_

 _Kidnapped_

 _Invasion_

He needed to figure out a way to rescue his team and escape. From there, he could take them to the Bat Bunker, which was far less likely to get compromised. He also needed to bring Alfred and Leslie there. Perhaps Doctor Mid-Nite if he had managed to evade capture. The Bunker was equipped with a fully operational operating room, and a Zeta Beam that had higher security clearance then the Watchtower. In other words, it was the safest place to be. _And a good place to bring injured team members_ his inner Batman reminded him.

The first order of business however, was to escape and then bust his friends out. And to not alert his alien captors. How he was going to do that when he didn't have his belt, was the real question. At least he had his flexibility going for him. That, and the fact that he could dislocate all the joints in his hands with little trouble or discomfort.

The only problem was that it appeared that his team was still knocked out. Perhaps Artemis and Kaldur were just faking, but he doubted that M'gann, Wally, and Conner would be convincing if they even bothered pretending to be unconscious. So the question was how to escape and potentially take three or more bodies with him. It was simply impossible without a distraction.

Maybe a deity heard him, because there was a sudden explosion, and the sounds of gunfire. Robin took the opportunity to dislocate his wrists and slip out of his bonds. Relocating his joints as he ran, he jumped on top of one of the aliens. This was no time to hold back and worry about the no kill rule, especially because he still had no idea whether or not the gunfire was friendly. He knocked the aliens out with brutal efficiency. They would survive, if they got medical treatment. They might be paralyzed, but they would survive.

Hearing a hissing noise, Robin turned around to see an alien getting ready to take a chunk out of his face. Lucky for him, and his future good looks, the butt of a rifle was brought down on the alien's head with a sickening crack before the alien could find out whether or not Robin tasted like chicken.

Robin turned to greet his hero, when he was met with the heartwarmingly familiar face of Agent A. "Master Robin, I am pleased that you are alright, though I do wish that you were wearing more clothes."

Robin blushed. He had almost forgotten that he was only wearing his underwear and a mask, but now was not the time. "Help me untie the others and get them to the zeta beams. We're relocating to the Bat Bunker. We'll do a full briefing there."

Agent A nodded solemnly, and the two rushed over to his team. Luckily, Artemis and Kaldur were awake, though the later was slightly groggy. Conner, Wally, and M'gann were still knocked out, but they were able to drag them over to the Zeta Platform.

Agent A was already looking them over, while Robin typed quickly at the computer interface. "Any day now, Master Robin. I would prefer to make it away from this daring rescue mission in one piece."

Robin ground his teeth. "Not helping Agent A. They rewired the Zeta Beams. I need to give myself access, and make sure that our trip will shut shut down the whole Zeta System. We don't want our new friends crashing what may be the last safe place on Earth."

Robin heard the sound of the doors opening behind him and the aliens coming through. "Shit. Agent A, buy me three seconds!"

Agent A reloaded the rifle, and started firing at the aliens, hitting them between the eyes each time. "System override, code RG4!" He dove at the Zeta Platform with his eyes closed. He would not be feeling the aster if he didn't make it before his friends were transported away.

Landing with a thud, Robin peeled his eyes open. He was in the Bat Bunker. Thank Batman. Standing up, he looked down at himself. He had managed to scrape up his knees and hands pretty badly, but otherwise, he seemed to be in one piece. "I'll get some antiseptic and some gauze Master Robin. If you would be so kind to help our unconscious guests to the med bay? And I'm sure the your other friends would appreciate some clothes."

Robin nodded, and threw Wally over his shoulder, gesturing for his friends to grab the other two and follow him. Once they deposited their friends, Robin brought Artemis and Kaldur to the spare uniform and weapons closet. Batman had foreseen the need to gather uniforms and weapons from other heroes. Though, he hadn't told them what he was doing. As far as Robin knew, they were still accusing Flash of being some sort of Klepto. Kid Flash's reputation for liking souvenirs had not helped poor Flash clear his name.

As they were getting dressed, Agent A called out to them, "Master Kid Flash's leg needs to be broken and reset. Unfortunately, his healing abilities mended the bone the wrong way."

Walking back into the med bay, Robin grabbed a syringe. "Agent A, if you could please reset KF's leg, I'm gonna do a blood work up on Supes. My guess is that they injected him with Kryptonite."

"Ah. I'll be sure to prepare the spare Kryptonian blood for a transfusion. I suppose Master Batman's paranoia has come in handy."

Robin let out a weak chuckle. "Don't tell him you said that. He'll be smug."

Robin tried to ignore the sounds of Agent A breaking his friend's bone. It wasn't a pleasant noise. Instead, he focused on his lab results. "Give him the transfusion, Agent A. He should be fine after two hours if he reacts anything like Clark."

Noticing his friends silence, Robin turned around to face them. They were staring blankly at their surrounding and seemed to have missed the whole conversation. Robin frowned. "Let's eat something. I think you're going into shock."

###

After an hour, Wally was somewhat coherent, and Artemis and Kaldur were back to their normal selves. Artemis was also freaking out. "And who is the old guy? Are we sure we can trust him?"

Robin internally rolled his eyes. If you couldn't trust Agent A, then you could trust nobody. "Guys, meet Agent A. He raised Batman, and makes the best cookies ever."

"I do endeavor to please, Master Robin."

Robin sighed. "We need to do a briefing. I need to know what you guys know so that we can make a plan."

Kaldur didn't have much to offer, but Artemis was able to confirm what he feared. "They managed to catch the JLA before they got us. Are you sure that this place is secure, because I thought that the Watchtower and Mount Justice was secure and surprise! They were compromised!"

"Well considering that before today, only three people knew of its existence and two of them are in this room, and the other is Batman, I would say yes. That and the fact that I destroyed the Zeta System when we made our exit. I'll work on something to temporarily reboot the system for one time usage in a moment. What I'm more worried about is that they were talking about Gotham. I think that they plan to take over Gotham first."

"Why?"

"It's a large city on the East Coast. Besides that, the crime rates are alarmingly high, they probably want to make an example out of her. If the people of Gotham fall, people who are known for their brutality, knowledge on weapons, and general scumbaggery, who won't?"

Kaldur frowned. "Do you have a plan Robin? Because, we must save our mentors to stop the alien invasion. How will we also protect the people of Gotham?"

"We don't. But I know some people who will."

###

Robin hung closer to the shadows than he usually would. He couldn't afford to be spotted by any unfriendlies as he made his way to Arkham. He had sent Artemis and Kaldur to collect Leslie, giving them a Robin insignia and instructions to tell her that Agent A and Robbin needed her. He told Wally to use the Batcomputer to look for the location of the League, any known allies, and to keep an eye on the satellite imagery. He did not want to be surprised when the aliens arrived.

He had also called Commissioner Gordon and told him that the metaphorical shit was about to hit the fan and to bring his most trusted officers to Arkham. After that he called Silena and told her the same thing. Now, it was a matter of getting there, and getting his plan set in motion despite how insane it sounded. And more importantly, he needed to get them on board. Batman was going to kill him.

Jumping down from the roof, Robin hid a pleased grin when the Commissioner gave a little start and his men jumped three feet in the air. "Hey Boss. We're waiting on one more person."

Robin grinned as Catwoman melted out of the shadows and slunk next to him. Robin allowed her to muse his hair, while the cops watched gobsmacked. "I brought you all here today because a war is coming. Today, the JLA was captured, and the elite team that I am a part of was nearly captured. We only managed to escape because an ally managed to get the jump on them, allowing me time to escape and help free my team. As of right now, my six man unit is down to three that are capable of fighting. I expect that the other three will make a quick recovery, however the fact remains that six heroes cannot protect the world. We have intel that they are coming to Gotham first. While my first concern is Gotham, my team and I have decided that rescuing the JLA takes precedent, as it is the only course of action that will lead to our victory."

Gordon was no longer smiling, instead watching Robin with grim determination. "Who are we up against? And what is your plan of action?"

"All I can say it is some sort of alien. I have yet to be able to discern a race. Not that it really matters in the end. As for a plan, I have someone working on the JLA's current position, as well as tactical options. As for Gotham, I want the Sirens to protect the city."

His plan was met with disbelief from all the cops except for Gordon. He instead turned to face Catwoman. "Are you up for this?"

"Someone threatened my Birdie. I think I'll help him by protecting Gotham." Catwoman paused and gave Robin a sly smile. "Who knows, perhaps I'll even receive a few jewels from the big man for my effort."

"Something tells me that Batman's never given a girl jewelry before." Robin and Catwoman shared a secretive look at that. Right. Bruce Wayne gave out jewelry like it was candy. The only thing that he would never dare give away was a certain pearl necklace.

Catwoman smirked. "You bring the girls out here and I'll convince them to help. Did they by any chance hurt a plant or something?"

Robin thought back. He really hadn't been paying attention to the houseplants. "Uh. Pretty sure that one of the little trees Miss Martian bought was scorched." Robin left out the fact that that could have been related to another kitchen disaster. "Oh. And they were pretty adamant that they wipe out all threats, and the Joker is definitely a threat."

Catwoman gave him a small sly smile. "If one of you strong men would take me inside, I'll get the girls to agree to save Gotham with me."

All the cops scrambled to lead Catwoman inside Arkham. Suckers. They should know by now that her and Batman had a 'thing'. Whatever that meant. On the bright side, he was left alone with Commissioner Gordon.

"Tell me son, what are you leaving out?"

Robin bristled at the word son. Normally, he wouldn't mind, but his father figure had just been kidnapped by aliens looking to take over the world. "You need to lock Gotham down. Nobody on the streets. Windows boarded, the works. And Arkham has to be guarded. Priority One. The last thing this world needs is for Joker or Two Face to team up with these aliens."

Gordon nodded solemnly, and Robin watched as Catwoman, Harley, and Ivy approached, the cops trailing behind them. "Don't worry Robin, your Aunt Harley is here and ready to help!"

"Don't worry, Boy Wonder, we'll protect your precious city until you're back. I will protect the city from the plant harmers. At least you respect nature."

Catwoman simply gave him a thumbs up. Robin nodded at each of them, trying to convey his thanks. Opening a pocket in his belt, Robin pulled out a small back case. "Catwoman, Harley, Ivy, Commissioner, each of you will be getting a comm connected to the main Bat system. The person on the other end should be able to tell you where you are needed based on satellite images. They can also connect you to each other or me, if that is needed."

Pulling out another, larger case, Robin continued. "These bracelets are like portable Zeta Beams. They only can bring you from your location to the Bat Bunker and then back again. However, anyone or anything you are touching will be brought with you. We have two surgeons and ample medical supplies waiting. Only bring the most critical, bring anyone you can to the hospitals. That said, they may ask you to do supply runs. Batman is paranoid, but even he didn't see this coming. Do what needs to be done as long as it does not endanger your own 're no help to anyone, especially yourselves, if you are dead. And thank you. Even if it is only for today, you guys are heroes. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Stay traught, and stay alive."

With that, Robin allowed the shadows to swallow him.

Harley looked at where he had been and then back at her girls scratching her head. "Wasn't he wearing a bracelet thingy? Why's he playing in the shadows?"

Ivy shrugged. "Dramatic effect? What the hell does traught mean?"

Catwoman put an arm around both of their shoulders. "He's been playing with words. Been driving the Bats nuts. Don't you guys listen to the gossip?"

Gordon couldn't help but smile as he lit his cigarette. In this quiet moment, they seemed like normal gossiping young women, not criminals. And more importantly, it gave him a sense of ease. They were in the calm before a major storm, and yet it seemed like just an ordinary night.

Giving one last puff of his cigarette, Gordon tossed it to the ground and pulled out his radio. "All units this is Commissioner Gordon. I am initiating a full city lock down. This is not a drill. I want all citizens inside with the doors locked and the windows boarded."

"What's happening Commissioner?"

"Robin just informed us that we are about to experience a full blown alien invasion. So get your asses in gear and get ready to defend the city. Tonight is the night you you cease to be dirty cops and instead become heroes."

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 **A/N: WOW...chapter 51, and it was a big one if I do say so myself. I guess you will have to wait and see what happens next, because I sure as hell don't know.**

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 **I do know that the next chapter will feature a more solid plan, M'gann and Conner waking up, Leslie, and an explanation as of how Alfred knew to help Robin.**

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 **Please leave a review if you liked, loved, hated, or tolerated this chapter. Your words inspire me to continue to write and to update sooner rather than later. To everyone who has left encouragement and statements about how I make their days brighter, I cannot thank you enough, as that is all that I want to do as a writer. Also I'm glad that _somebody *cough cough*_ finds me funny. I simply adore every single one of you and I hope that you guys liked this chapter!**


	52. The End of the World (part 2)

**The End of the World (Part 2)**

Robin sat tensely in the Bat Bunker. Conner and M'gann had both woken up, and Wally was supposedly 'fully' healed. Robin wasn't sure he quite believed him, but he couldn't afford to bench his friend. They needed all the help that they could get. Robin's bigger concern was M'gann. He knew that Conner had passed out because of the Kryptonite in his system, but both he, Leslie, and Agent A, could find nothing physically wrong with M'gann.

He really wanted to voice this concern, but so far his team seemed more concerned about the fact that he had let two criminals out of Arkham and instructed them, along with a third criminal, to protect the people of Gotham. It was quite annoying. Couldn't they trust that he would do what was best for his city? That he would never put citizens in greater risk by releasing people he couldn't trust to behave for one night?

Growling slightly, Robin banged his hand down on the computer consul. "Look. We don't have much of a choice on who can defend Gotham. Just know that Commissioner Gordon agreed with me, and that Batman has left the Sirens in charge on multiple occasions when he's been out of commission. You don't have to like it. It's done, and frankly, it's none of your business how things get done in Gotham. Now M'gann, I'm more worried about why you passed out."

M'gann hugged her stomach and looked down, worrying her lip. If Robin weren't so worried about the end of the world and whether or not his father figure was still alive, he might have felt more compassion for her. As it was, he was just annoyed that she wasn't answering his question quick enough. Finally, she looked up with a single tear running down her face. "They are in so much pain. It overwhelmed me. I think that they are slaves being forced to conquer worlds for their masters."

Okay, alien slavery. That wasn't exactly a new concept. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a planet where some form of racial supremacy didn't exist. And being in the marginalized group sucked. Robin would know. "I think that you need to stay here."

The whole team looked at him like he was insane. Maybe he was. Kaldur was the one to try to reason with him. "Robin. I do not believe that to be the wise course of action. We are a small team, we must use every tactical advantage that we have."

"And we need to get rid of any dead weight. No offense M'gann."

Conner growled and stood up, looming over Robin in a way that was probably supposed to be intimidating. It probably would have been, if he didn't live with Batman. "M'gann is invaluable and more useful than you are."

Robin tried to not to allow that one to sting. He knew that Conner meant that he had no powers. He also knew that Conner was extremely protective of M'gann. "Look. She passed out last time she was confronted with these guys. It's just gonna happen again. Besides, I need someone to stay here, and act as mission control. The Gotham Sirens and Gordon need someone to direct them to the places they are most needed. In addition, they have access to the bunker to bring critical patients. I need someone here who could defend Agent A and Leslie just in case. I trust Catwoman to keep the other two in check, but there is no way that I'm risking Agent A or Leslie."

Conner looked ready to argue but M'gann simply smiled and nodded. "I think you may be right Robin. There emotions project, and they hit a little too close to home for me."

Robin nodded, but didn't make a move to respond. Instead he turned back to the Batcomputer and frowned. They hadn't had any luck finding the Justice League. He needed to be able to track Batman down. Wait. Agent A had managed to track him despite the fact that he was stripped.

"Agent A?"

Agent A rounded the corner, with Leslie in tow. "Is there any way that I may be of assistance Master Robin?"

"How did you know that I was in trouble?"

"The alarm that signifies that your uniform was forcibly stripped went off."

Wally frowned. "I didn't hear anything."

"It's silent Master Kid Flash."

Robin shook his head. They didn't get it. "My point is that the aliens would probably follow the same procedure for the Justice League. Strip them off their uniforms and weapons, and then prevent them from using their powers. If we can trace where Batman's silent alarm went off…"

"Then we can find Uncle Barry! I mean the League!"

Robin nodded. "At the very least we will find evidence that can lead us to where they are now."

Robin spun his chair to face the computer interface once again. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he entered commands, and then verified his identity and security clearance. Sometimes it felt necessary. Now wasn't one of those times.

"Found it! Batman's alarm was triggered in Alaska. As in the middle of nowhere Alaska."

Wally jumped out of his seat. "Okay! What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Robin frowned. "Not so fast KF. We need more intel. I'm going to reposition a military grade satellite. We need real time info, and if we're lucky we'll know whether or not the Justice League is there before we make the journey. Agent A? Can you make sure the plane is fueled up and ready to go? And please make sure to check that the stealth tech is functioning."

"Of course, Master Robin. Shall I taxi the Batplane to the runway?"

"Yes. Thank you Agent A."

Robin cracked his neck and continued to allow his fingers to fly. Finally, he managed to get control of the satellite and to move it over the region where he suspected the Justice League was being held. "The Batplane isn't nearly as cool as the Bioship, but it will get the job done." The screen lit up with multiple heat signatures. "Okay. We know that there are at least thirty heat signatures in a supposedly desolate area of Alaska. What we don't know, is who or what they are. I think that I can change that. I'm going to try accessing the FINDER program from NASA. It's a new program whose aim is to help locate people following natural disasters by using their heartbeats to locate them."

Conner frowned. "So it's kinda like my super hearing? How's that gonna help?"

Robin stuck his tongue out slightly and hit enter. Immediately, multiple heart beats popped up. Robin clicked on one, and the sound of a rapid heart beat took over the room. "That's how. Nobody's heart beats at over five hundred beats a minute. Nobody's except the Flash and Kid Idiot's."

Artemis smirked. "So at the very least we know that one member of the Justice League is on site."

Robin gave her a smirk in return. "We also know how many there are, and where they are located. Now if only I could find blueprints for a brand new top secret bunker made to hold the world's most dangerous villains. Oh wait. I did."

Kaldur stood. "We know the location and we know their numbers. I suppose that we are ready to go. We can make a more formal plan on the way."

"Not so fast. Grab whatever gear you think you could need. I'm gonna grab an extra belt and pack some more explosives. I'm also going to load three snowmobiles in the plane. Superboy, you might want to pack a few extra shirts. I have a feeling that you're gonna rip yours. M'gann, if you would come with me?"

Robin watched for a moment before turning and walking to where the extra gear was kept and grabbing a belt. Crisscrossing them both across his chest, he grabbed a large box of explosives and handed them to a passing Conner. He then walked deeper into the Bunker to where the spare vehicles were kept, with M'gann trailing behind him. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay with staying here."

M'gann gave him a small smile, that looked kind of sad. "I think that it is probably best that I do. I can't control my powers well enough to prevent myself from hearing their thoughts. I just wish I could do more."

Placing his hand on her shoulder, Robin gave her a serious look. "You have a really important job. You're not only helping the Sirens and Agent A, you'll be helping us too. I can't monitor heat signatures and help carry out Justice League members undetected."

M'gann gasped, hands flying to cover her mouth. "You think that Uncle John and Superman will be down, don't you! That's why you wanted to grab the extra explosives!"

"I think that at the very least, those two will be down. Especially after our escape."

A tear ran down M'gann's face. "He's all the family that I have on Earth. He's the only one who ever really noticed me."

Robin pulled her in for a hug. He knew what it felt like to be afraid of losing the only family you had left. "I know. I'll protect him for you. Just do me a favor."

"Anything."

"Protect Agent A for me. Batman and him are the only family I got left. I need to know that he'll be okay when the world goes to hell, and I'm not here."

M'gann smiled softly. "I'll keep him safe."

Robin nodded and straightened himself up. It was time to get serious. "Here's a comm unit. It will connect you to the team, and to the Sirens and the Commissioner."

M'gann nodded. "Thank you, Robin."

Robin wasn't sure what he was going to say next, but whatever it was, was interrupted by KF yelling for him to hurry up. Rolling his eyes, Robin gestured to three snowmobiles. "Levitate these into plane for me? They weigh like five hundred pounds, so there is no way that I can carry them."

Gigging, M'gann levitated the snowmobiles and they walked in compatible silence to the plane. After loading them into the cargo hold, Robin quickly strapped them into place. The last thing he needed to worry about was ruining thousands of dollars worth of equipment if their landing was a little rough. Which was quite possible in the Alaskan winter.

Robin boarded the plane and took thee captain's seat, gesturing for Artemis to be his copilot. "Don't tell Green Arrow. He might get jealous. The rest of you buckle up. We have a long flight ahead of us, even with me breaking the air traffic laws. Get some rest. We'll start making a plan in the last hour of flight and finish when we are about to enter."

Robin and Artemis were getting through their preflight checks when a blaring alarm went through the Bunker. Robin barely paused what he was doing. Lifting a hand to his ear, he activated the comm. "Robin to all points. Get ready. The invasion has officially begun. Stay traught and stay alive." Lifting his chin, Robin turned on the engine, opened the Bunker wall, and sped the pane down the short runway. He had his mission. He couldn't worry about Gotham. It was all in the Sirens' hands now.

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 **A/N: So...basically nothing dramatic happens in this chapter. You did learn why M'gann was knocked out though, how Alfred tracked them, and the Invasion began. Okay maybe stuff did happen. Hoped you enjoyed it!**

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 **Next chapter:**

 **Trying to rescue the JLA-will probably involve some cursing, Wally's bad luck, distractions, injuries, Robin having a flashback, and the kidnapping of a doctor, and (possibly) a look at what's happening in Gotham from the P.O.V. of the Sirens (if I'm feeling ambitious...otherwise it will end up in the next chapter)**

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 **Please, please, please, review! I love to know what you guys are thinking! Let me know if there is anything else (besides what was mentioned above) that you really want to see in the next chapter!**


	53. The End of the World (part 3)

**The End of the World (Part 3)**

Robin had long since switched over to autopilot, but he still hovered over the controls. He had no clue what else to do with himself. Most of the team was sleeping fitfully, and he didn't want to wake them until he had too. Unfortunately, they were getting closer and closer to that deadline.

Nudging Artemis, Robin signaled that he was leaving the cockpit and going to wake the rest of the team. She nodded, and Robin made his way back, gently shaking Wally, Conner, and Kaldur awake and gesturing for them to follow him. Robin couldn't help but close his eyes as he walked back. He was tired. So, so tired. He needed a vacation. He needed Bruce. He needed Bruce to whisk him away to some private island without cell phone reception and wifi. He needed a break to recharge and remember why he was a hero.

Sitting down in his seat, Robin activated his comm. "M'gann, we are half an hour out from our landing point. From there, it will take at least forty-five minutes, if not more to reach the bunker by snowmobile. Can we get a sitrep?"

"From what I can tell, everything looks the same. The heat signatures have moved around a bit, but there are the same number of signatures."

Wally bit his lip. "Can you still find my Uncle's heart beat?"

There was a pause, and Robin could hear M'gann typing. Another pause, and Robin could hear the sounds of Agent A typing. His fingers moved a lot quicker than M'gann's, and there was something instinctively familiar about it. What worried Robin though, is why M'gann would need his help. "Uh. Robin? We can't find it."

"What do you mean you can't find him? He was just there!"

"Hold on, I'm linking my hologlove to the main system."

Robin typed, his eyebrows furrowing. Okay, that was not a good sign. He couldn't find it. So either the system glitched originally and he was never there, or it could no longer detect his heart beat. Robin wasn't sure which was worse. "Okay Wally, here's the deal. The system can no longer detect your Uncle's heart beat."

As expected Wally started to freak out. And his panic was starting to get to the rest of the team. Yanking his glove off, Robin stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle. "Enough! I get that you are scared and worried, but right now, there is no time to freak out. I am going to start descent in very horrible conditions, and I need you all to sit down, strap in, and shut up! Wally, I'm sure your Uncle is fine. I've read case reports from Batman where he detailed that your Uncle's heart sometimes beats too fast for modern machines to monitor. M'gann said that the number of heat signatures is the same, so as of right now, our plan to breach is the same. We'll adapt as needed."

Wally frowned but nodded. "Fine. Whatever."

Robin took the plane out of autopilot and started the slow descent. "Okay M'gann. We're landing, and I'm bringing the plane into a cave for concealment. Can I please have an update on the state of Gotham and the Sirens? I could really use some good news."

###

M'gann could barely keep up with the reports of alien sightings. She had given up telling the Sirens where to go, as Harley had yelled that all they had to do to find the aliens was follow the singing. M'gann wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but judging by Commissioner Gordon and Catwoman's grimace, it wasn't good.

What M'gann did know however, was that there were too many patients crowding the Bat Bunker medical bay, and there were more on the way. It got so bad, that at one point, Agent A loaded up a helicopter with as many stable patients as possible, and brought them to the nearest hospital. M'gann could truthfully say that she had never been so relieved as when Agent A returned. Robin may be her friend, but she didn't doubt for a second that he would harm her or worse if Agent A was harmed. Not to mention what Batman would do to her.

The whole situation was a major disaster. And as Robin would say, heavy on the 'dis'. The Gotham Sirens were tiring out, and M'gann was dreading contacting Robin to let him know. Especially after she had to deliver the news about Wally's uncle. Robin had managed to give them hope, but what if it was like that simulation where he was just giving them false hope until the end? No, she didn't think that Robin would do that again. And Agent A had pretty much told her the same thing when she originally couldn't locate the heart beat. A flash lit up the Bunker, and M'gann turned to great whoever had Zetaed in, but immediately stopped and gasped.

Catwoman was lying on the ground in a steadily growing pool of blood. She must have activated the Zeta right before she fell unconscious. "Agent A! Leslie! Come quick! She's really hurt!"

Agent A rushed over muttering curses while he lifted the Catwoman onto a gurney and rushed her to an awaiting grim-faced Leslie. M'gann stared down at the puddle of blood on the ground with tears in her eyes. There was no way that she could hold off calling Robin now. He had once confessed that Catwoman was kinda like his mom.

"Bat Bunker to the Sirens. Catwoman is here with serious medical injury, she is currently being treated. How are you guys doing?"

"Puddin, if I could get a little back up, I'd be doing much better."

"They've killed my babies. I need to retreat and regroup."

M'gann sighed and rubbed her temples. She couldn't help despite how much she wanted to. And she promised to protect the Bunker and it's occupants. "Robin, come in Robin."

"Kind of in the middle of driving a snowmobile through a blizzard, M'gann. What can I do for you?"

M'gann didn't really appreciate the tone. She wouldn't have used the comm if it wasn't important. "Robin, Catwoman is down. Harley and Ivy are regrouping, but they are tiring out fast. We need help, now."

There was a quick intake of breath, but that was the only sign that Robin wasn't completely calm as he said, "How bad a shape is Catwoman in?"

"I don't know Robin. Agent A and Leslie rushed her off to surgery."

"I need you to patch the Commissioner and the remaining Sirens in."

M'gann bit her lip. Robin was sounding far too resigned for her liking. She didn't have a good feeling about where this was going. "Sirens, Commissioner, I'm patching you guys in to Robin."

"Guys, can you hear me?"

"How's it going Bird Boy?"

"Well I'm currently freezing my ass off in the middle of nowhere Alaska. On the bright side, I have a very warm Kryptonian hanging onto me."

"Robin. How much longer until you're able to free the Justice League?"

There was a soft sigh, and M'gann knew that the answer was not going to be one the Commissioner was hoping to hear. "Too long, I'm afraid. I'm calling for one of the 'Batastrophe' plans to be put in action. Commissioner, in a minute, a map of underground tunnels with appear on your phone. I need for some of your officers, and people you deem 'responsible' to start leading women and children out of the city. In the meantime, let Bane, Killer Croc, Deadshot, and Clayface out. Make sure to tell them that they can't make a living if we all die. Harley, Ivy, take a breather. When, and only when you feel like you will not endanger yourselves, rejoin the fight."

"Aw Puddin. Don't you worry about your Auntie Harley. You just worry about saving your Daddy. Leave the rest to us!"

"I never realized how much you care Boy Blunder. Don't think that I'll let these aliens take me down, I still need to spread the word about saving the environment."

"Robin. I let out Bane, Killer Croc, Clayface, and Deadshot. They've all agreed to help until the alien problem is gone. After that, it's free game." There was a deep, world weary sigh, and M'gann knew that whatever the Commissioner was going to say next mattered. "Now you listen here, son. I know you, and I know Batman better than most can claim. And I know, that right now, your mind is torn between here, and wherever the hell you are. I need you to forget about Gotham. I need you to focus on what you're doing, because at the end of the day, the world needs the Justice League. Gotham may need Batman and Robin, but the world takes precedence, because there isn't a single doubt in my mind that the Justice League could not do what they do without Batman and Robin. So you do what you have to do, and I'll make sure that Gotham stays in one piece until you're back. It's the least that I could do considering how many times you've saved me. How many times you've saved all of us."

"Thank you Commissioner. I won't let you down."

"I don't think that's possible Robin, the Boy Wonder."

###

Robin held his chin up high and ignored the tears blurring his vision. He needed to prove himself worthy of all the faith that people were placing in him. He needed to earn the name 'Boy Wonder'.

Robin glanced behind him at his team. Artemis was driving a snowmobile with Kaldur behind her (much to Wally's annoyance) and Wally was driving the other. Meanwhile, Robin was leading the pack with Conner seated behind him. They wouldn't have enough room for the Justice League, so either they had to make some sort of sled, or they needed to steal a vehicle, preferably after disabling any others. Not that the aliens could drive. Most likely.

Robin slowed as they made their way to the crest of a small hill. Jumping off of the snowmobile, Robin climbed the rest of the way and laid down on his stomach. The rest of the team followed suit. "Okay. M'gann. I need to know if you can see any vehicles through the thermal imaging. I also need the latest body counts, and where you think the hostages are located."

"Robin there appears to be some sort of garage on the far end. A lot of the aliens have conjugated in that area. The body counts appear to be the same, though there is a heat signature located in the same area as Flash was previously whose heat output is significantly lower than the others."

"Like the aliens?"

"No. It looks human. The temperature is just cold."

Robin closed his eyes, and pretended not to notice the strain in his voice as he said, "Could be Batman. He trained with Himalayan monks for a while. They can control their body temperatures. He may be attempting to conserve energy."

Robin really doubted that he fooled anyone with that excuse. He could barely convince himself that it was feasible, let alone a group of other people. There was no point in procrastinating though. The situation would only get worse the longer it went on. Pulling a snow camouflage tarp out of one of the pouches on the snowmobiles, Robin covered them so that they were no longer visible to the naked eye. "M'gann, tag where I'm standing right now. If it keeps snowing like it is, it will be impossible to find the snowmobiles later."

Turning to the rest of the team, Robin stuck out his hand. "We got this. Don't leave any room in your brain for doubt."

Wally put his hand on top of Robin's, and the rest of the team followed. "Okay, M'gann. Whenever you're ready. Lead us in."

###

Robin crept down the empty hallway feeling exposed by the lack of shadows to hide in. He knew that M'gann was watching their backs, but he would have been much more comfortable in an air vent. The team had agreed to allow him and Artemis to take down any aliens that they spotted because they were able to do so without making a noise. Robin smirked. Gotta love that assassin training. Not that Artemis knew that Batman had been a student of Ra's al Ghul.

Robin was startled out of his concentration when M'gann's whispered, "Around the next corner. First door to your right. Be careful."

Robin took a deep breath. "Okay. We got this. I got this. I don't see any noticeable traps on the door. Kid Flash, you're in first. Then Conner, me and Kaldur. Artemis, you watch the door. Take down anyone that gets close. You guys got it?" Upon receiving their nods, Robin continued. "Three. Two. One."

Kid Flash burst through the door with Conner following close behind, acting as a shield for both Robin and Kaldur. Robin noticed right away that the room was clear, save for the Justice League. Which didn't bring much comfort considering the state the Justice League were in.

Green Arrow, Wonder Woman and Aquaman were barely lucid, though they seemed to be better after Kid Flash untied them. Probably just a concussion. Flash's legs were both severely broken, and would probably need to be rebroken and set. Both Superman and Martian Manhunter were unconscious, probably for the same reasons that Conner and M'gann had been unconscious.

But it was Batman that drew Robin's attention and his worry. He was curled in on himself, and his skin was cool and clammy to the touch. Flipping his mentor onto his back, Robin took a quick intake of his breath. There was a major bite on the side of side of his mentor's abdomend, and it was deep. And it was bleeding. Judging by the pool underneath him, his mentor had lost a lot of blood.

 _Blood. There was so much blood underneath two very broken bodies. Why were they broken? They were smiling at him a moment ago. He was supposed to jump? Why hadn't he jumped? Why was he covered in blood? It was warm. To warm. He felt sick. Why was someone grabbing him and dragging him away? He had to be with them! He was supposed to jump. It was his turn now. Why was someone hugging him? He was wet. He'd ruin their nice suit. What was happening? Why was everyone so sad? Why was he crying?_

"Rob! How's Bats?"

"Motherfucking motherfucker fucking bastard!" Digging through his belt, he grabbed a pressure bandage and hastily applied it. "We need to go! Batman needs urgent care stat!"

"I'm afraid that getting out won't be as easy as getting in. Robin, the heat signatures are moving closer to you."

Robin cursed again. Batman could wash his mouth out with soap later. "Okay. New plan. Artemis and I are going to go make a big boom and cause a distraction. You guys get the League to the snowmobiles. Kaldur, if you could carry Batman with your water bearers it would be greatly appreciated. Supes. Carry Big Blue and Flash over your shoulders. KF, you have Martian Manhunter. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Arrow, you guys need to walk. We'll try and steal a car if we can. Got it?"

Robin didn't wait for an answer before running, Artemis trailing close behind him. "M'gann, lead us to the garage! Artemis be ready to take down anything and everything! Let's make as much noise as possible."

Robin didn't pause as they ran by three aliens, hitting one with an exploding batarang, while Artemis took out the other two. M'gann was shouting directions, and it wasn't long before they were bursting into the garage and grappling into the rafters. "See that car by the exit? Think you can hotwire it while I make things go boom and open the door?"

"Sure thing shortstack."

Robin rolled his eyes at the nickname not really perturbed. Gotham villains had called him much worse. Instead, he focused on hacking the door. It took a few moments longer than he would have liked, but the door started to creek open. Robin took that opportunity to strip his belts of the multitude of explosives, activate them, and throw them at the other vehicles, and at the aliens. Hopefully, Artemis would get the car ready long before he ran out. He wasn't really sure that he had anything useful for this situation in his belt anymore.

"Let's go Wonder Boy!"

Robin jumped down and landed on the hood of the car. "Go! Go! Go!"

Artemis didn't hesitate and slammed her foot on the accelerator. Robin jumped through the open passenger seat window and onto his seat. He watched as the garage became smaller and smaller, and realized that he had grabbed the SUV with tracks, which basically meant that the car was designed for deep snow. His subconscious mind was a genius!

"Team. Status report?"

"Robin. We are at the snowmobiles. However, the Justice League's uniforms are not meant to withstand this cold temperature for long."

"Start unburying the snowmobiles. We may have lost them for now, but that's gonna change as soon as they realize that we unkidnapped the League. Soon as we park, I want the Justice League loaded in the back. Wally, you're driving with Kaldur shotgun. Everyone else in on the snowmobiles protecting the car."

"Eh. Why me?"

"Wally, you're superspeed won't be helpful in a when we need long range weapons experts throwing the explosives I stashed in the pouches of the snowmobiles. Conner can chuck them way father than you can, Kaldur's water bearers are at an advantage with all the snow, and Artemis and I know how to handle things that go boom, unlike you Kid Idiot. The last thing any of us need is another man down."

"Sheesh. No need to tell me twice. I got it. Lighten up! We got the Justice League! We saved the frickin Justice League of America! We're heroes!"

Robin was glad that Artemis had just pulled up, because he could tell Kid Idiot to shut his mouth in person. Wally had the worst luck of anyone he knew, and he knew the Condiment King! The last thing that they needed at the moment was for Wally to have jinxed them.

And judging by the the headlights coming their way, Wally's rotten luck had managed to rub off on them. "Go! Go! Go!"

Jumping on his snowmobile, Robin revved the engine before taking off after the car. "M'gann. Lead us to the Batplane! Or better yet, let's hope that Batman's knew update works!" Robin slammed his hand down on top of the homing signal on the snowmobile and prayed that it worked. In the meantime, he turned around, and started throwing explosives at the incoming alien...podmobiles? He really wasn't sure what those things were, but they moved fast, and needed to be taken out. Spinning around, he put the snowmobile in reverse, thank you Bruce for being a billionaire and being able to cough up money for expensive upgrades, and activated the missles. Now he only had one shot at this, ready, aim, fire!

The snow behind them exploded and began to slide down the mountain. An avalanche. Thank you, mother nature. And the missle.

Spinning back forward, Robin noted that there were still few podmobiles chasing after him. But that didn't matter, because the Batplane broke through the clouds and hovered, a large platform descending onto the snow. "Everybody get on the platform! It's magnetic, so it will lock you in place!"

Robin was glad that nobody argued the safety. He probably would have, if it was just him and Batman. But it wasn't. And he was certainly not bringing up just how unsafe what they were about to do was. Instead, he threw the last remaining explosives at the podmobiles. And when they were safely loaded inside the plane, he locked all the vehicles in place before pointing at the med bay. "Get the League situated. Artemis, you're my copilot."

"Dude. You have a snowmobile that launches missles."

"Technically, it belongs to Batman. You were riding the one I generally use. Conner was on the spare."

###

It was thirty minutes after they had left the horrible bunker behind, that Robin felt safe enough to leave Artemis alone in the cockpit. In the med bay, Robin quickly went to a bare wall panel and typed a code into the hidden panel. Immediately, the panel slid out, revealing multiple blood bags. Robin gave one to Wally and nodded to Superman. "Hook him up." He took out two bags of Batman's blood and started the rapid infusion.

Robin cursed as he realized that the bandages that he had applied in the field were already soaked through. Batman would never make it all the way back to Gotham. Good thing that he had made an operating room within the Batplane with a gyroscopic floor to eliminate all plane related movement.

Rushing back to the cockpit, Robin turned the plane. "Sorry guys. We're gonna need to make a quick pit stop in San Francisco."

"Uh. Why?"

"Batman needs a world class trauma surgeon. And I know just where to find one."

###

Robin stormed through the trauma department, ignoring all the stares. He had hacked into the UCSF hospital database and knew exactly who he was looking for. "Where is Dr. Nicoletta Marino?"

A confused nurse pointed to a lounge, and Robin didn't so much as thank her as he ran by. He didn't have much time. The team didn't have much time. There was only one doctor in the lounge, so Robin grabbed her, noting that her ID did in fact, identify her as the woman he was looking for.

"You have a patient. Severe bite mark from an unknown species. What we do know, is that he hasn't stopped bleeding in over an hour and that he's been given three bags of blood. He also has not regained consciousness."

"Um. The operating rooms are in the other direction. Wait, I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm the person trying to stop the alien invasion that you were just watching on TV. I'm also the person who is getting very perturbed by how slow you are moving, and is contemplating just grabbing you."

"Now hold on a minute—"

Robin didn't let her finish that thought. He threw her over his shoulder and marched to the roof like he owned the place. Immediately, a grapple appeared, and he was pulled into the awaiting plane. The good doctor let out a very high pitched scream.

The team watched with wide eyes as he held the protesting doctor. Wally made a high pitched noise that sounded like a squeak. "Rob, please don't tell me you kidnapped her. We were joking when we said let's grab her and go. You know that. Please tell me that you know that."

Robin ignored Wally and instead preceded to carry her past the med bay and into the operating room, where Batman was ready and waiting, cowl still covering his face. "That's—"

"Yes. It is. This operating room is state of the art. You won't feel any of the jostling from the plane. Now I need to fly this plane and get us to a safe place without drawing the attention of the aliens that want to kill us. If you could just, I don't know, fix him? That would be a big help."

"I don't have any assistance. What about an anesthesiologist? And a second?"

"KF. Can you handle anesthesia? Remember he's not a speedster, but his system goes through it pretty quick for a nonmenta." Turning to face the doctor, Robin glared. "As for a second, you're supposed to be one of the best trauma surgeons in the world. Figure it out. If you really need help, ask Kaldur."

Robin knew that he shouldn't have left it there. That he should have been nicer. But he couldn't afford to, not now. Not when he felt so raw. When he felt like he was going to explode from the sheer magnitude of his own emotions. Steeling himself, Robin settled into the pilot's seat. "M'gann. We're on our way back. We have the Justice League. I repeat, we have the Justice League. Conditions vary, but most seem on their way to recovery. Batman is in surgery. We're making our way to the Bunker to regroup. We'll fill you in on the details then."

"Got it Robin. I will tell the others."

"Thank you M'gann."

Robin looked down at himself as he adjusted his position. He was covered in so much blood. In his mentor's blood. _He was sitting in front of their broken bodies, covered in their blood. Why was his face wet? Was he crying? No. Tears weren't red. He was wiping blood onto his face. Oh. The air smelt so thickly of blood that he could practically taste it. It was making him sick. He was going to hurl._

Robin faintly heard Artemis scream his name as he vomited and passed out on the floor of the cockpit.

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 **A/N: So. That was a lot of action. Made up for the lack of action in the previous chapter I would say. I think that there will probably be two more chapters of this arc. Maybe three.**

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 **Next chapter- Batman/Robin's condition, heroes awaken, a plan is formed, Gotham continues to have problems, Alfred, maybe a cute bat family moment**

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 **If you liked it, hated it, tolerated it, or just want me to type faster...LEAVE A REVIEW!**


	54. The End of the World (part 4)

**The End of the World (Part 4)**

Robin was still unconscious when Wally carried him down to the medical bay. The second that he walked through the doors, Martian Manhunter started screaming. Wally nearly dropped his friend in his shock. Everyone looked over at the Martian, unsure of what had changed. The surgeon Robin kidnapped ran out of the operating room, gloved hands coated in blood. Ripping the gloves off, she began to look Martian Manhunter over. "I can't find anything physically wrong with him! Granted, I'm not exactly an expert on Martian physiology."

Green Arrow sat up with a groan. "It's Robin. Soon as he wakes up, Manhunter will be fine."

The surgeon nodded and headed back into the operating room. Wally felt sick. Batman was injured and that was probably what had Robin in such a bad shape. He had been so worried about his Uncle, that he had forgotten that Robin's father figure was also captured. And Wally couldn't imagine what had been going through his friend's head. He had already lost one father, to be put in a situation where you might lose another one would be unbearable. No wonder he had passed out. He must have exhausted himself.

Superboy crossed his arms with a frown. He had been standing over Superman protectively ever since they had entered the plane, which Wally would have found cute, if it weren't so scary. "What does Robin have to do with this?"

"Look. Batman wasn't exactly forthcoming with the kid's life story. Let's just put it this way, if half of the rumors surrounding him are true, the kid's gone through some serious trauma. I know for a fact that Bats had to teach the kid how to shield his mind before he met Manhunter for the first time."

Kaldur sighed. "I just do not understand what prompted Batman to take a child as a partner. And such a young one at that."

Green Arrow didn't answer for a moment. Wally suspected that he was trying to find the best way to explain things without spilling the League's most well kept secret. "Look. The way I understand it went down was not unlike the way this team was formed. Robin told him to get on board or get out of his way. Batman got on board to protect him."

"From who?"

It was Wonder Woman who answered this time. "From himself. Batman wanted to protect Robin from his anger and resentment. From who he would become if he didn't learn how to control it."

Wally looked down at his friend. He was far too still. He hated it. He knew very little about Robin's origin story. He might of known his best friend's secret identity, but he was unwilling to violate Robin's privacy by googling his name. The little that Robin had shared with him was extremely unpleasant. His parents were murdered in front of him. He was sent to a bad place in Gotham by CPS. Bruce Wayne had taken him in. He had set out for revenge, but Batman had stopped him. He realized that Bruce and Batman were one and the same. He saved Bruce from his parents' murderer, and chose justice over vengeance. He became Batman's partner and started the trend for young heroes.

Wally knew that there was far more to the story than that, but decided that Robin would tell him when he was ready. Wally was smart enough to realize that his friend may never be ready, but that was okay. Wally doubted that he would have the same strength and optimism that Robin possessed if he had been through the same thing.

Deciding it was best to change the subject, Wally cleared his throat. Not that anybody heard him over Martian Manhunter's screaming. "So, how are you guys feeling? I mean, I know that we have to keep my Uncle heavily sedated until someone can fix his legs, and Superman will be good as soon as the blood transfusions are done, and hopefully Batman will be okay cause Agent A honestly scares me a little—"

"Wally. Shut up."

Wally was never so thankful for Wonder Woman in his life. He tended to ramble when he was nervous, and once he started he couldn't stop. So it was probably a very good thing that Wonder Woman shut him up before he could reveal something embarrassing. Like that time that he ran to Robin's mansion, but forgot to wear pants, and Robin didn't say anything. In fact, the only reason that he found out was because Mr. Wayne came home five hours after his arrival and questioned, "Wallace, why are you standing in my house with no pants on?" Wally had never been that embarrassed in his whole life.

"Wally? Why is your face all red?"

Wally turned to face Green Arrow. "Uh. No reason. Just remembering something."

Green Arrow smirked. "Right. Maybe you should do your 'remembering' in private from now on."

And this was a close second on the embarrassment scale. Once again, it was time to change subjects. "When do you think Martian Manhunter will be okay?"

"When Robin wakes up, or when he remembers that he was saved. I'm not sure which will come first."

Wally's stomach dropped. Why did that have to sound so ominous?

###

 _Dick didn't like it here. The boys here were mean and called him weird things. He didn't know what they were saying to him, and they didn't like that. It wasn't Dick's fault that he didn't speak much English! He spoke so many other languages. If they talked to him in one of those, he would understand them!_

 _He didn't feel safe. He wanted his parents. He wanted Pop Haley. He wanted that guy in the expensive suit who had hugged him so tight. He wanted that feeling where nothing else mattered but that hug. Like the world didn't exist. He liked the way that man had smelled. He liked how the man didn't care that Dick had ruined his nice suit, and how the man had given him his expensive jacket. The mean lady had taken it away from him and called him a thief. Dick wasn't a thief. The nice man knew that. He wished that the nice man had been in charge of him instead of the mean lady. Maybe then, he wouldn't be hiding under a table, hoping that the boys would leave him alone. He was a good boy. He didn't belong here._

 _Dick didn't like the food here. It looked like baby food and it tasted gross. He wanted to go back to the circus. He didn't need to speak English there. The language felt odd on his tongue, and he kept messing up. The other boys didn't like that. They hit him when he made a mistake. Dick only talked when he had to._

 _Dick had been at the awful place for over two weeks now, and he had given up on ever leaving. He had more bruises than he could ever remember having before, and he was pretty sure that one of his ribs was broken. The adults here didn't care. They said he deserved it for keeping them up at night. Dick didn't mean to, the nightmares were constant though. He had given up sleeping a few nights ago._

 _Dick could count all of his ribs now. He had always been small for his age, but he was an athlete. He was one of the best in the world. Nobody would guess that if they saw him now. He knew that he had lost a lot of weight between not sleeping and not eating. Dick hoped that maybe someone would take him to a hospital and he could tell the doctors that there had been a mistake. That he wasn't supposed to be with Gotham's most violent and dangerous children. That he was supposed to be with the circus! But that didn't happen. Instead, an adult came into his cell and forced a tube down his throat. Said that if he wouldn't eat than they would make him. The adult also said that the tube would be good practice for learning to suppress his gag reflex. Dick didn't know what that meant, but he said it in the same tone that one of the clown's used when they were talking about his Mama. It scared him. His wings were broken and he could no longer soar like he used to. He realized that he was going to die._

 _It was half a week later when there was a loud commotion. Dick was so sick he could barely make it out of his bed when his cell door was ripped open. Dick blinked feebly and saw the face of the nice man. He looked so angry, but when he saw that Dick recognized him, he cupped his hand gently against Dick's face and told him, "Don't worry. I'm getting you out of here. You won't have to spend another moment in this hellhole. Don't repeat that."_

 _The man gestured for Dick to stand, but he could barely sit up. The man crouched down, and gathered Dick into his arms, picking him up easily. It felt just as safe and good as Dick remembered, and for the first time, Dick was able to relax. He was safe now. The man would take care of him. He could sleep._

 _After that, everything became blurry. He remembered being in an office with a man they called 'The Warden' and the nice man yelled and gestured at a bunch of men wearing fancy suits, said that it was child abuse and that the police commissioner had been informed and that his lawyers would take care of the paperwork. Dick realized that the nice man was fighting for him, and that was the moment that the man became his new hero._

 _Later, Dick was sitting in a carseat in a limo, wrapped in a really soft blanket. His hero sat across from him and introduced himself as Bruce Wayne. Dick tried to tell him that he didn't speak much English and that he hoped that that was okay. Mr. Wayne told him that he spoke a lot of languages, and that they would figure out which one worked best until Dick could learn English. He said that Dick would never go back to the bad place. That he could live with him and his butler, Alfred, as long as he wanted to. Dick told him that that would be forever. Mr. Wayne laughed, and said that that sounded perfect. Something in Dick settled, and he knew that Mr. Wayne would always be there._

 _A few weeks later Dick found out that Bruce, don't call me Mr. Wayne, was actually Batman. Dick helped Batman take down Tony Zucco, the man responsible for his parents' murder. With the arrest of Tony Zucco, came the birth of Robin, and Dick felt himself become more and more whole again. For the first time since he watched them fall, he was happy. And he knew, that he would continue to be happy. Because of Bruce. Because of Batman. Because he was Robin. And he was able to fly once more._

###

Robin woke up with a start. He was in the medical bay. Why was he in the medical bay? Superboy was the first one to notice that he was awake. "Robin's up."

Robin didn't like the looks that he was receiving. There was too much pity in them. He was not someone to be pitied. He was a survivor.

When Martian Manhunter let out a groan, Robin knew what had happened. He took a deep breath, and raised his chin. "I'm going to go to the cockpit. It will probably do J'onn some good to be away from me for a bit. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Robin stalked to the cockpit without so much as glancing at anyone else. Licking his lips, he entered the cockpit, unsurprised that Wally was there keeping Artemis company. "Move it West. Artemis, you can go take a break. And if one of you could ask the good doctor for an update on Batman's condition, it would be much appreciated."

Robin didn't like the look that they shared, but decided to pick his battles. Taking a breath, Robin activated his comm. "Robin to bunker. M'gann, you there?"

"Robin! You're okay! Superboy said that you collapsed and that you were making Uncle J'onn sick, but that Green Arrow said it wasn't your fault. He also said that everybody was being really cryptic."

Robin closed his eyes. He never thought that he would accuse Superboy of all people of being a blabbermouth. "Yeah. Something like that. Can you give me an update on Catwoman?"

"Oh! She's fine. She's helping evacuate people against Agent A's recommendation. Apparently, it was just a scratch, but it was bleeding a lot, so it looked worse than it was."

Robin sighed. Something inside his chest gave a little, and he found that he could suddenly breathe just a little bit easier. "Can I speak with Agent A please? On a private channel?"

"Oh! Of course! Let me just set that up here."

A few seconds went by before he heard the voice that he was dying to here. Well, one of the voices anyways. "Master Robin. I heard that you were not well, how are you feeling?"

"I'll be better as soon as I get an update on B. We have a surgeon working on him, but I haven't heard anything yet, which is not helping my nerves."

"Do take care of yourself Master Robin."

"I will. I am. I just...it was too much with my history. I really need to talk to B, but I can't. And the world is ending, so I don't feel like I have any right to complain."

"Master Robin, you have done so much for the world. If you need something, the world has little right to complain about it. Perhaps, it would do you some good to take a vacation."

"I was thinking about that. Think B would agree to go to his private island with no tech? I need to decompress."

"I think that Master Batman would do anything that you asked of him, even if it were to mean retiring the cowl completely."

"No. I don't want that. I just want the world to not be ending for a few weeks. And I want to be selfish and have B all to myself. And I want him to make good on his promise that I can live with him forever, meaning he has to be alive forever too, cause I can't live without him!"

"Oh Master Robin. I have no doubt that he returns these sentiments, even if he were to never say them aloud."

Robin closed his eyes and felt one stray tear run down his face. "I know. He shows me through his actions everyday. I just...I just need him to show me one more day Agent A. I need one more day."

"We always do, Master Robin. We always do."

Taking a deep breath, Robin squared his shoulders. Lifting his chin, he prepared himself. It was time to face reality, even if he wasn't ready. "We'll be arriving at the Bat Bunker in T minus thirty minutes. We need it to be cleared minus M'gann, Leslie, and you. As far as I know, Flash still needs both of his legs reset and Superman is still receiving blood transfusions. I do not know the medical needs of Batman as of this moment."

Behind him, Artemis cleared her throat. "Batman is out of surgery and in stable condition."

Robin felt like he could breathe again. "You hear that Agent A?"

"Yes Master Robin. I am clearing out the last of our patients now. The Bat Bunker is ready for your arrival."

"Thank you. Robin out."

Robin turned off his comm and watched as Artemis settled into the copilot seat once again. He knew that she was going to ask hm, it was only a matter of time. He waited, muscles tense, and jaw locked. "So. Why does he call you 'Master Robin'?"

Robin blinked and watched her out of corner of his eye. That was not the question that he was expecting. Not at all. "Uh. It's a really long story that I don't really understand. Batman says that it's because he's British. And proper. Or is it he's proper because he's British? Either way, apparently it has something to do with etiquette."

"Ah. That's why you don't know. We all know that the Boy Wonder has zero manners."

Robin wanted to point out that he had more manners than she did, but decided not to comment. She had been polite enough to drop the question, and would probably not take too kindly to Robin teasing her. Not that Robin could blame her. He would hardly want to be teased by the youngest and most enigmatic member of the team either.

###

Despite the war raging on outside, their arrival into Gotham and subsequently the Bat Bunker happened without much fanfare. Much to Wonder Woman's displeasure. Apparently, she wanted revenge for getting the drop on her and then tying her up like a Thanksgiving turkey with her own lasso. Robin could see the reasoning behind that.

He would probably want the same thing if their roles were reversed. But as it was, Robin couldn't help but feel annoyed at the Amazon's ignoral of Batman's condition and their general predicament. They couldn't afford to attack all willy nilly. They needed to do a coordinated strike, when everyone was well enough to participate. Well, almost everyone. Robin didn't think that Batman or either of the Martians would be able to participate.

Robin was hardly surprised when Agent A and Leslie rushed onto the plane before they could disembark. Agent A immediately went to Flash and rebroke his wrongly healed legs. Robin cringed at the sound. Agent A then proceeded to look over a stirring Superman. Robin felt relieved as Superman blinked, their heavy hitter was on his way to recovery, which meant that all was not completely lost.

His thoughts of hope and rainbows and unicorns were interrupted by Leslie pulling Batman's gurney out of the operating room. Reality seemed to set in, and the weight almost crushed him. How were they supposed to win against these guys? The best heroes in the world had to be rescued. What were their chances of fighting and winning?

Robin's disparaging thoughts were interrupted by Wally literally crashing into him. "Agent A fixed my Uncle's legs, and he says that my Uncle will wake up soon! Isn't that great? I'm so happy right now!" Wally zoomed past him and further into the Bunker before Robin could think to say anything. It was great. For Wally. But all he wanted was for Batman to wake up.

Robin once again found himself squaring his shoulders. "All abled personnel should take half an hour to change, get checked out by Agent A, Leslie, or Doctor Marino, eat, and drink. At the end of this time period we will start engaging in planning. Any and all intel will be presented then."

Superman stumbled over to him. Superboy was awkwardly hovering behind him, like he wanted to help the man walk but wasn't sure how it would be received. "Robin. Batman was able to take one of them out, but I'm not sure how. Before I passed out, I heard him murmuring about effervescence. I'm not sure whether or not that helps."

Robin eyes widened and he turned to the Batcomputer murmuring to himself. Pulling up chemical blueprints, his eyes saw something that Superman could not see, despite the many types of vision that he had. "Wonder Woman! You wanted revenge? I need you to capture one and bring it back. One, and only one! Got it?"

Robin barely noticed as the woman nodded and shot out of the Bunker, he was too busy murmuring to himself, as he paced the Bunker. Finally, he ran to the mini fridge and pulled out a soda. Shaking it, he placed it on the desk and resumed his pacing. Both members of the Justice League, and the Young Justice team looked at each other confused. It was official. Robin had finally lost it.

Artemis tentatively approached the young genius. "Robin? Mind explaining what's going through that big brain of yours?"

When she received no verbal response, Wally zipped over to the soda and picked it up. Robin immediately turned to him and narrowed his eyes. "Put. That. Down. Now."

Wally backed up with his hands raised in surrender. "Hey man, calm down. Can you explain what going through your head please, because you are honestly freaking me out."

Robin gestured vaguely at the Batcomputer. "You guys were attacked on SSD. Batman was talking about effervescence. It all makes sense now!"

Wonder Woman returned with one of the aliens tied up in her lasso. Robin grabbed his soda and walked over to them. Opening the soda as far away from him as possible, he watched as it exploded all over the alien. Immediately, the alien started to bubble and fizzle before literally melting.

Robin did a little dance. "Yes! Score one for SSD and for Batman's genius!"

It was Superman who brought Robin out of his thoughts and back to the rest of them. "Chum, what does that mean? We can't follow your thoughts."

Robin froze, and the occupants of the room could literally feel the temperature drop. "What did you just call me?"

"I've heard Batman call you that. I just assumed that it was a nickname."

"It's a personal name. I don't think you want me calling you what your mommy calls you in front of everyone here, do you?"

Superman held up his hands. "Sorry. I didn't know."

"Yes you did. You of all people in this room know, so don't lie. As for what happened, you said Batman was talking about effervescence. That's basically the escape of gas from a liquid and the fizzing that happens as a result. You guys were taken on SSD, or Secret Soda Day. It's the one day a month that Batman brings a soda home unbeknown to Agent A."

"I can assure you Master Robin, that Batman is far less sneaky than he believes. I've known about your 'Secret Soda Day' since the very first one."

Green Arrow looked at Robin like he was crazy. Maybe he was. "So let me get this straight. Batman discovered their one weakness by accidently pouring a soda on one of them?"

"Batman does nothing by accident, but yes."

Kaldur was the one to break the awed silence. "I wish not to be the bearer of bad news, but how does this information help us? What is our plan?"

Everybody looked at Robin. Sheesh. Now he knew how Batman felt. No wonder the man was perpetually grumpy when he was with the League. They were helpless on their own. That's not to say that he had the magic solution either. "I don't really know. I think for now, the best course of action would be for the Supers and Flashes to gather as much soda as possible and bring it here. Everyone else should help protect the city and evacuate the citizens. The Martians should stay here." Seeing the stare that Martian Manhunter was giving him, Robin raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't protect yourself from my mind, do you really think that you will be able to protect yourself from all of theirs?" Seeing that Manhunter agreed with him, Robin turned to face everyone else once again. "Everyone get a comm unit and an emergency zeta bracelet before you leave. The bracelet will bring you and anyone or anything your touching here. Comm will connect you to Miss Martian, who will connect you to whoever you need. Stay alive and stay traught. The battle is coming to an end, and if we fight smart, we will be victorious!"

A battle cry went up around the Bunker and Robin watched as his friends, his family, ran to join the battle. Once again turning his comm on, Robin took a deep breath. "This is Robin. The Justice League has returned, and have joined the fight on the streets of Gotham. Sirens, Bane, Clayface, Deadshot, Killer Croc, Commissioner, help has arrived. Thank you for your service and for your aid in this dire time. If you can, please continue to help. We are working on figuring out a more permanent solution, but for now, we need all the help we can get. Continue to fight, and please stay alive."

Robin ended the transmission with a sigh. Gathering what was left of his energy, Robin dragged his feet over to the medical bay. Batman was lying there, too still and pale for Robin to pretend that he was simply sleeping. Sitting down in the chair, Robin gathered one of his mentor's large hands in both of his. Holding it against his cheek, Robin allowed himself a few moments of weakness. He would be strong, after this. He would figure out a plan, after this. He would be a leader, after this. He'd be the hero they all needed, after this.

A small movement caught Robin's attention. Batman's index finger was tapping a pattern on his cheek. Robin held still and attempted to pay attention. Three short taps. Three long taps. One long and two short taps. Morse Code! **... - -.. .-** / **-... - - -...**

S-O-D-A B-O-M-B. Soda Bomb? Soda Bomb! If they made an explosive filled with soda high above the city, it would turn the city into a sticky and alien free mess! The trick would be to make it a high powered explosive without it generating enough heat to evaporate the soda!

Squeezing Batman's hand gently, Robin leaned over and kissed his forehead gently. "You are such a genius! You better get well quick, or I'm gonna take Agent A on a beach vacation without you!"  
Running out of the med bay, Robin activated his comm. "Robin to heroes. I have a plan! Does anyone happen to be an expert on explosives?"

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 **A/N: Okay, so two more chapters I think. How did you like this chapter? Is it weird to say what my favorite part was? I don't care...my favorite part was the Robin flashback. There was something about it when I was editing that made me just want to pat myself on the back. I just like the feeling, though I'm not sure it really went with the rest of the chapter. Not that I really care at this point. ;P**

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 **Next Chapter:**

 **Soda Bombs and how to build them, Batfam moments, save the world!, Gotham Sirens, Jim Gordon, and much more!**

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 **If you didn't know, I'm no expert on a lot of things, namely the field of medicine, aliens, and effervescence.**

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 **Please Review! I will never be that person that says 'I won't update until I get _ reviews' but they are certainly appreciated, and I tend to be more inspired to spend my night typing when I get a lot of verification that people enjoy what I am putting on the internet.**


	55. The End of the World (part 5)

**The End of the World (Part 5)**

Robin scurried across the Bat Bunker, plans forming in his mind. He needed to cause the soda to explode without the explosion causing heat so the soda would evaporate. He had deliberated simply adding mentos, but figured that that would not work as it would cause the soda to go flat. He was no expert in explosives, but Flash and Kid Flash were both Chem Wizes. It was reassuring that at least someone knew what they were doing.

Four hours later, Robin stared at the collection of soda in the Bunker. It looked like it was the entire city's worth. He was glad that he had two speedsters and two supers to gather supplies quickly. It made life so much easier. It would have taken days for him to gather all of the supplies himself. Not to mention, that he had requested large panels the 'special' metal Batman had designed, and there was no way that he would be able to carry those by himself. The metal was supposed to disintegrate under the pressure of an explosive, so Robin really hoped that it would work without the heat.

Gesturing for Flash and KF to follow him, Robin led them to a large steel table surrounded by tool chests, laboratory supplies, and all sorts of chemicals. Basically, it was a chemist's dream. And judging by the drool running down KF's face, he was in his nerdy version of heaven. Robin wished that he didn't have to ruin the mood. "I need a high impact explosive that will disperse the soda all over the city, without causing the soda to evaporate."

Kid Flash looked at him like he was crazy, but his uncle was already rubbing his chin and nodding. "I see what you mean. Normally, I would say that it wasn't possible, but this lab has the highest grade materials that I have ever seen. I think that between me and Wally, we can work something out. It might take a while though."

Robin gave his best Batglare and lowered his voice considerable. "You have three hours."

Kid Idiot laughed and managed to gasp out, "Wow, Rob! Your Batman impression has really improved. I almost believed that you were serious!"

Robin walked away, a small smirk dancing across his lips. Behind him, he could hear Kid Flash's laughter stutter to a stop as he asked, "Wait. He wasn't serious, was he?"

"I think he was."

###

Conner held up a panel of metal and bent it so that it was slightly rounded. From there, he handed it to Superman, who used his heat vision to weld it to another panel. They were trying to make something spherical according to Robin, but at the moment it looked more like a blob. It was slow and tedious work, and Robin was milling about with a full face mask to protect him from any flying sparks. Superboy wished that he would just walk away so that he could spend some time alone with Superman, but the boy did not seem to be picking up on any of his hints.

Conner could hear the weak heartbeat coming from the med bay, and thought that maybe, Robin could hear it too and was trying to distract himself. Robin didn't act like he had superhearing, but Conner wouldn't put it past him to hide any power that he might of had. He hid his identity, and despite being on the team for so long, Conner still knew virtually nothing about his friend outside of heroing. Robin knew where he went to school, his frustration with Superman, how he chose his name, and so much more. But Conner didn't even know if Robin was related to Batman. It was annoying. And it made him angry.

Robin must have felt him staring at the back of his neck, because the boy stood up and shoved the mask off of his face. Conner watched as Robin's brows furrowed in confusion, before Robin turned away and mumbled something about calling Catwoman.

As he scurried away, Conner felt a twinge of guilt at glaring at him. Robin had taken on a lot of responsibility to lead the team and save the Justice League. Not to mention that it seemed that he was having a hard time. Conner just hated lies and secrets. Both of which Robin had in abundance.

"You should be a little nicer to him."

Conner turned sharply to face Superman, unaware that the man had even noticed their interaction. "He means well."

"I don't like secrets."

Superman paused his laser vision and adjusted his grip on the steel sphere. "In a way, I find Robin more frustrating than Batman. At least Batman makes you very aware of the fact that he is keeping things from you. Robin has always seemed open, even though his secrets have more secrets than I can count."

"How can you be on a team with someone like that?"

"You trust that they will do the right thing. That they will share what needs to be shared."

Seeing Conner's doubtful look, Superman lips quirked in a small smile. "Want to know one of Robin's secrets?" Superman didn't even wait for Conner's slow nod before he continued. "He came to visit me, after Batman failed to make me step up as a mentor to you. He came as a civilian, knowing full well that I was avoiding him as Robin. He came, he sat me down and he called me an idiot. After a long and very emotionally blackmailing speech on his part, I finally said that I don't know how to be a mentor. You know what he did? He snorted and asked if I thought that Batman of all people knows how to be a mentor. If I thought that impatient, socially inept, awkward, gruff, and secretive Batman had know what to do with an eight year old child that kept sneaking out of his home to be a 'hero' in a leotard and cape. If I thought that Batman had never messed up when it came to him. And he was right. It took me a few days, but I came to the cave and we went on that walk together. A week later, we went for ice cream. My point is, Robin never told you. And yet, look at what he did. For you. For us. Batman and Robin are hard to get to know, and they do things that I don't always agree with. But when it comes down to it, they are two of the best men I know."

Conner nodded and turned back to his steel plates, suddenly feeling emotional. Robin had done that for him? Why hadn't he said anything? Perhaps it was best that he hadn't. If Conner had known that Superman had only come because Robin had forced him, it would've meant a lot less. But he could've said something later, after Conner and Superman had formed a tentative bond.

Conner didn't like the silence between him and his mentor. "You know Robin's secret identity?"

Superman burst out into laughter and smiled wide. "Only because I know Batman's. Otherwise, I don't think I would know despite the major case of hero worship he had for me as a kid."

"Robin's still a kid."

Superman looked down and shook his head, a sad smile dancing across his lips. "Only the blind would truly believe that Conner. Do you really think that a child would be able to accomplish so much, and have the respect he does from every member of the League? No, he may act childish, but he is far from a child."

###

Robin wasn't sure what Conner's problem was, but he was in the way anyways. He went to quickly check on Batman and found that Agent A was sitting at his side. Not wanting to disturb the moment, Robin slipped away. Going to the small gym, Robin scaled the beams and into the rafters. And then he just sat there. Being up high was calming. It always had been. Batman never found it funny when he joked that he was going to go jump off of a high building when he was angry, sad, frustrated, and basically every other emotion in existence.

Taking out a shiny black phone with the bat symbol on the back. He could use the comms, but he didn't trust that nobody would listen in. Dialing a familiar number, Robin held the phone to his ear and waited.

Finally, she picked up. "Hey, S. I just wanted to check in. I heard that you were hurt."

"I'm fine Kitten. Just a small scratch. How's the Big Man doing? I heard that he was injured."

Robin worried his lip, not trusting that she wasn't lying to him. He could practically guarantee that it was more than 'just a small scratch'. "He's in stable condition. He was conscious enough for a little while to tell me how to solve the problem. As far as I know he's sleeping right now. Agent A was watching over him. He's going to be okay."

Robin was aware that the last part sounded more like a mantra that he was repeating to himself than actual reassurance. If the little humming noise she made was any indication, she heard it too. "I'm glad. How are you feeling Kitten? There's been a quite a bit of pressure on you to perform miracles. To live up to the name Boy Wonder. Even Harley's worried."

Robin wondered how he got to be in the position where his parental figures were a man who dressed like a bat, and a renowned thief. But then he remembered how lucky he was to have parental figures that loved him so deeply. Not everybody was so lucky. "I'm gonna force the Big Man to take me on a no tech vacay to a private island. You should come."

Silena let out a small throaty laugh. "There is nobody to rob on a private island Kitten."

"Yeah, but the Boss will be there. You two will be alone. On a private island. Sounds quite romantic."

"You'll be there, Kitten. Doesn't sound quite that romantic when your man's child is there interrupting. Besides, I know that you want some alone time with him."

Robin grinned. She knew him so well. "Compromise then. We go for two weeks and you come for week number two. As long as you two keep it down, I won't interrupt. Too much."

"You really think that you can get the Big Man away from his precious city for that long?"

"I think that I can get anything I want if I try hard enough."

Robin continued to talk with Silena for a few more minutes before she told him that she had to go and hung up. Robin knew that there was a bajillion things that he should be doing to help his friends. But instead of getting down from the rafters, Robin found himself lying down and staring up at the ceiling. He would be useful in a moment, but right now he would settle for getting his thoughts in order.

###

Wally stared at the device in front of him. They had done the impossible. They had managed to create the explosive that Robin had requested. Vibrating, Wally barely managed to hold still long enough to fist bump his uncle before he was dashing off to find Robin. Robin would be so proud of him for what they had accomplished.

He zoomed around the whole Bunker but could not find his friend. Scratching his head, Wally rechecked the entire Bunker but still couldn't find where Robin was hiding. Wally could feel the swell of panic welling up within him. Zipping up to where the Supers, Wally skidded to a stop, twitching nervously. "Uh, Mr. Superman, Sir? I can't find Robin anywhere."

Superman dropped the giant sphere of metal that he had created. Wally was pretty sure that he was done with it, and that they only needed to pour the soda in it. "Robin? He was just here. Did you check everywhere?"

Wally started to list all the places that he had checked. How was he supposed to know if that was everywhere? It was likely that there were a trillion secret passages. Superman held his hand up and Wally slowly stuttered to a stop. Superman walked towards the gym, with Wally and Conner following close behind. When Superman started to fly up the ceiling, Wally was confused. Did he think that Robin became a bat and was hanging somewhere upside down?

It was surprised Wally when Superman came down, holding a sleeping Robin to his chest. "Batman once told me that Robin likes to be up high when he needs to think. I think Robin scared him the first few times that he found him sitting on the edge of their roof."

Robin shifted in Superman's hold, and rubbed at his mask covered eyes. "I must of fallen asleep. Did I miss anything?"

Wally couldn't help but burst out, "We did it! We made a high impact explosive that won't release enough heat to evaporate the soda, or effect the carbonation levels!"

Robin gave him a small smile. "Cool. Dump all the soda in the sphere, and then we'll attach the device to the outside. After that, we'll have the Big Blue Boyscout fly it to the middle of the city and throw it up in the air. I'll detonate it from the Bunker."

Wally gave him a sarcastic salute, tossed him the remote detonator, and ran over to the soda to start pouring it in the steel sphere. Robin rolled his eyes and turned to Conner. "You're gonna be Supes' backup. You need to protect him while he has his hands full."

Robin sat down at the Batcomputer fiddling with the remote detonator. He watched as Flash and KF finished loading the soda and ran out of the Bunker, presumably to help protect Gotham. He watched as both Supers ran out of the cave, the sphere balanced between them.

Turning to face the Batcomputer, Robin switched to the real time satellite. Licking his lips, he waited for Superman to reach the center of the city. It took longer than he suspected, but Robin supposed that he shouldn't be complaining. It wasn't like he was the one fighting his way through the city.

When they reached the center, Robin activated the comm. "Okay Superman. Throw it as high as you can without it actually leaving the troposphere. After that, make sure you clear the area. The metal should disintegrate, but I can't be sure."

Robin watched as the sphere was thrown, and waited until it reached its apex. After that, he counted. _Five._ This would work. _Four._ Batman would be okay. _Three._ If this failed, they would find another way. _Two._ He was a survivor. _One._ They would be heroes.

Robin pressed the button to detonate the bomb. The sound of the blast could be heard faintly in the Bat Bunker, and Robin waited fifteen agonizing seconds for a report. It was Ivy who gave him the relief he desired. "You did it Boy Wonder. The aliens who dared hurt my babies are melting, I just wished that I didn't end up so sticky as a result."

There were multiple confirmations, and Robin sagged in his seat. It was over. They had won. He could relax now. They were all safe. Robin raised a hand to his comm. "We won. It's over. Everybody released from Arkham gets a free pass until they commit another crime. Good job everyone. Robin out."

Standing up shakily, Robin ripped the comm out of his ear. Walking over to the med bay, Robin climbed into the bed with Batman. Robin could knew that Leslie, Agent A, and Doctor Marino were milling about but he didn't care. Burying his face in Batman's neck, Robin allowed himself into the first peaceful slumber that he had since this whole thing started. From the shadows, Agent A smiled as he continued to put away medical supplies. He was glad that they got this moment, before the major cleanup began.

###

Commissioner Jim Gordon put the cigarette to his mouth and took a deep inhale. Leaning against the lit Batsignal, he waited. Raising a hand to his ear, he tried to once again use the comm to contact Robin. He had tried to reach Batman when he had saw the other heroes from the JLA but to no avail. And now Robin was unreachable. In fact, nobody was reachable. The comm was dead.

"They're fine, you know."

Jim turned around, hand on his gun. Sitting on the edge of the roof was Catwoman, looking both calm and confident, two things Jim was not. "Oh?"

"The little birdie took out his comm as soon as he delivered his little speech that the war was won. Agent A went and took the comms offline and turned off the zeta bracelets."

Jim had no idea who this Agent A was, but decided that he wasn't going to ask. If they were related to Batman, the man obviously didn't want him to know. "And how did you come across this information?"

"He texted me."

Jim Gordon had expected her to say a lot of things, but certainly not that. "I see. Do you know Batman and Robin's current condition?"

Catwoman gave him an appraising look. Jim had no idea what she was looking for, but she must have found it. "Robin's okay as far as I know. Batman's banged up. Robin said that he was awake long enough to give them the solution. But I haven't seen them yet, if that's what you are asking."

"We could use them around here."

Catwoman looked around and watched as people who hadn't been evacuated exited their homes and watched as the JLA started the clean up. "It's my understanding that Batman doesn't usually stick around for the cleanup. That tends to be Bruce Wayne's job."

Jim Gordon surveyed the city and turned to tell her just how right she was, but when he turned around, she was gone. "I really hate when they do that." Tossing his cigarette down, he stubbed it out with his boot and walked away. It was time to get back to work.

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 **A/N: So one last epilogue chapter. It will probably be really short. Anyways, as always, let me know what you think! I love all of your reviews, and they make my day every single time.**

 **I adore each and every one of you and I can't wait to see what you guys think!**


	56. The End of the World (Eplilogue)

**The End of the World (Epilogue)**

Dick let out a content sigh as he stretched. His skin was glowing a nice bronze, apparently being on a tropical island did wonders for the complection. Glancing down, Dick smiled as Bruce let out soft snore. His mentor had been glued to his side recently. Well technically, Dick had been glued to Bruce's side, and therefore Bruce had been glued to his side. Logic.

The sunshine was splendid. It was rare to have a sunny day in Gotham, so it was a nice change of pace. Bruce had complained about it for all of a minute before Alfred's glare silenced him. Speaking of Alfred, Dick gave the man a warm smile as he handed him a virgin pina colada. Dick had no idea how the man survived in the heat wearing a three piece suit, but Alfred had stubbornly refused to put on shorts. Something about decorum.

Bruce shifted slightly, hand reaching out as if searching for something. He grumbled, and then sat up looking around lazily. "Hey, Chum. What you up to?"

"Relaxing. Getting my tan on. Drinking a tropical fruit drink."

"Sounds nice. I think I've slept more than I have in years."

"Oh?"

Bruce gave him a side-eyed look. "I don't know what else to do, I'm so bored."

Dick looked at him and sagged. "Oh thank God. I thought I was the only one that was dying of boredom."

Before Bruce could reply, Alfred appeared handing him a drink. "If I may, Sirs. I do believe that I packed some scuba diving gear, a few spearguns, and a pair of underwater cameras. Perhaps you would like to investigate the reefs around here. I heard quite the interesting rumor about a giant squid that many believe is actually a kraken."

Bruce lips twitched into a smirk. Dick mirrored his expression. "That sounds like a job for Batman and Robin to me. What do you think Chum?"

"I think that the last one to get a wetsuit on has to wax the Batmobile!"

Dick took off running, Bruce following close behind. Alfred was left on the beach with a platter in his hand and a small smile dancing across his face. He was glad that his two charges were on their way to healing from the invasion and that they were bonding. He could only guess that Miss Kyle's arrival in a few days would add to their shenanigans. But he was glad that Bruce was taking a moment with his family and away from his eternal battle with evil.

###

Wally was the one to find it. Attached to the fridge was an envelope with _Young Justice_ carefully written in delicate calligraphy on the back. Wally brought it to the rest of the team, and they all shared a look of confusion. When Conner confirmed that it was not filled with some sort of explosive, Wally carefully opened it. Inside, there was a photo of what looked to be an underwater scenery with two people in scuba gear fighting what appeared to be a giant squid monster.

Artemis squinted at it before mumbling, "Is that a kraken?"

Kaldur nodded sagely. I have never seen one before. They are extremely rare as my people hunted them to near extinction. They are extremely aggressive and tend to terrorize local populations."

Wally flipped to the next photo which showed the two people, now on land, hauling in their giant catch. Wally could now tell that one was a man and the other a young teen. Tilting his head, Wally stared at it, and if willing the puzzle to fit together.

It was the final picture that made the puzzle complete. A man had his arm wrapped around a teen and a beautiful woman, each wearing a pair of stylish sunglasses and a small smirk. Wally let out a gasped, "No way!" before turning to photo around.

Sure enough, the back of the photo was signed, _Feeling the aster with Batman and Catwoman. See you guys in a week. Stay traught. M'gann your cookies are burning._

M'gann let out a small screech and rushed to the kitchen, pulling a pan of blackened cookies out of the oven. With a small pout she returned and asked, "How did he know that my cookies would be burning when we read his letter?"

Wally didn't have the heart to tell her that her cookies were always burning and that Robin had just assumed that today would be no different. Judging by the silence, nobody else had the heart to tell her either.

Deciding that he should probably change the subject, Wally let out a dramatic groan. "Man, Robin always goes on the cool vacations alone! Why can't our brotrips ever be to an awesome island filled with adventure?"

Artemis rolled her eyes, as the team slowly began to disperse around the cave. "I don't know Kid Idiot, maybe because island adventures cost quite a bit of money? He's probably been saving for this forever."

Wally grumbled his agreement while internally rolling his eyes. Robin hadn't saved for this trip. That was Bruce Wayne's private island, no doubt. The trip's cost was hardly a blip on his radar. Not to mention that as the sole heir of Bruce Wayne's mutlibillion dollars, he was set. For life. In fact, Bruce could have ten kids and they would all never have to worry about money. Point was, he could have totally taken Wally. Wally was going to be sure to remind him of that when he got back. It was his duty as best friend. And it was a well known fact that Wally took his best friend duties very seriously.

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 **A/N: So that's it for this arc! It was just under 1,000 words, so it was longer than I was expecting it to be. Anyways, I really hope that you guys liked this story arc! And while I have no idea what I'm doing next, I can't wait to write it. Please leave a review for my sanity.**


	57. Putting an End to False Rumors

**Putting an End to False Rumors**

It was common in the cave for Artemis to put on the Gotham Celebrity Watch. When asked, she claimed it was because they often shared things about Robin, and it wasn't like Robin shared things with the team. In fact, the Celebrity Watch was the only reason that they knew that Robin had fought Killer Croc and came out with a few bruises and a nasty black eye, but otherwise victorious.

More often than not, the rest of the team, sans Robin of course, joined Artemis in watching the show. It was a great source of information, and allowed Artemis to have a valid reason for knowing Gotham gossip. Even Wally enjoyed it. He seemed to love segments on Richard Grayson and Bruce Wayne for a reason that he wouldn't say. Artemis thought that he was probably just too embarrassed to say that he was a fanboy.

Seeing that it was already nearing five, Artemis flicked on the TV and watched amused as the rest of the team seemed to appear out of nowhere and gather around her on the couch. Even Superboy watched the TV with mild interest, though that might be because M'gann was already chattering excitedly.

The intro played, and Artemis leaned forward. Maybe they would talk about who Robin might be behind the mask again. That was always her favorite part. Though the suggestion that it might be Richard Grayson was a little ridiculous to her. He might have been a former circus brat, but the kid was tiny in a way that Robin wasn't. Robin might have been the smallest physically on the team, but he was bigger than them in a way that the rest of them could only hope to reach.

The anchor appeared, and Artemis stopped thinking so that she could pay complete attention to the story at hand. It was a good thing that Robin was never there when they watched, because the troll would never let them live it down.

 _Today on Gotham Celebrity Watch, we once again turn our attention to Bruce Wayne and his adopted son Richard Grayson. Abuse allegations are swirling around Gotham due to Richard once again going to school with bruises and a sprained ankle. Child Protective Services are questioning whether or not Bruce Wayne is fit to raise a child. Some are even calling for his arrest._

 _While there has been no official comment from Bruce Wayne or Richard Grayson, a source close to the Wayne's have said that they do not for a second believe that Bruce is capable of raising a hand to Richard. Commissioner Gordon has also expressed his disbelief but has promised to investigate this matter thoroughly, even going as far to say that he would ask Batman for his help._

 _Now while I have no personal stake in this, and can't even claim to know either Bruce or Richard that well, I do know that Bruce Wayne looks at Richard Grayson with a tenderness that most children in Gotham wish their parents would look at him with. I find it hard to believe that the same man who looks at his son like he makes the world turn also physically harms him._

Artemis watched confused as a note was handed to the anchor, and she paused to read it. Her lips twitched, in a clear sign of amusement, before she once again turned to face the camera.

 _Sorry for that. I was just informed that Roy Harper, a close friend of Richard's just posted a comment and video to all of his social media accounts. The comment reads, "Reason that I don't believe Dick is being abused:"_

Artemis watched curiously as a video was brought up. She wondered how well Roy really knew the kid and visa versa. It wasn't like the kid knew that he was Speedy, Red Arrow, or whatever he was now calling himself. She supposed it made sense, two kids suddenly foisted into the lives of the rich and famous. It couldn't be easy.

The video began to play, and Artemis couldn't believe her eyes. It was shakey, like it was taken on a cell phone while the owner was laughing or worried. Judging by what she was seeing, it was definitely the latter. There was little Dick Grayson standing on the banister on the second floor and about to jump. Giving the camera a cocky wave, Dick jumped and grabbed onto the chandelier, laughing the whole time.

Bruce walked in, and seemed to take in the scene in seconds. Looking like he was about to faint, he went and stood underneath the chandelier, holding his arms out like he was planning on catching Dick if he fell. Dick seemed to take this as a challenge, and shifted so that he was hanging off the chandelier by his knees and waving jauntily down at Bruce. Artemis could practically see the aneurysm beginning to form in the poor man's brain.

A butler appeared, carrying a ladder, and Dick immediately stopped laughing and starting to complain. Bruce seemed to have finally lost his cool and demanded, "Well? If you don't want to use the ladder, how are you planning on getting down?"

Bruce seemed to realize that it was the wrong thing to say the second after he said it. A maniacal grin formed on Dick's face, and he crossed his arms. With a boastful tone, Dick said, "I'm glad you asked. If you could please move about three feet to the right, and put the offending ladder away, I'll get down now.

Artemis gasped when Dick literally flipped off of the chandelier and performed four flips in the air before landing and switching into a series of front handsprings. Dick stopped with a grand bow, and then tried to take a step towards an exasperated looking Bruce. Frowning, he let out a slight wince. "Uh. Bruce. Padre. Old Man, old pal. Best father in the whole wide world who loves me despite my mistakes."

Bruce gave him a quick hand gesture that clearly stated that he wanted Dick to hurry up, but there was no mistaking the fond look on his face. "I think I might have sprained my ankle on my landing. I mean it's a minor sprain so no big deal."

Bruce looked way more concerned as he hurried over to Dick's side. "Can you walk? Wait. Don't put any weight on it, we'll have Leslie check it out."

Before Dick could even hasard a response, Bruce had swept him up bridal style. Dick rolled his eyes and somehow managed to convey sarcasm through a kiss on the cheek. "My hero."

Bruce rolled his eyes hard. "Shut off the damn video, Harper. I better not see that you posted it somewhere."

Artemis watched slack jawed as the feed switched back to the anchor, who looked just as surprised and amused as Artemis felt.

 _Well that was something. While I maintain that I had no doubt that Bruce was not abusing Dick, I can now say that this video proves my viewpoint. I'd also hazard a guess and say that most Gothamites who believed the abuse allegations have changed their minds. I can only wish that me and my future children have the same kind of bond. And now to our next story. Oswald Cobblepot has once again escaped Arkham. Please be advised that any avenary themed 'treasures' might be at risk for theft. Last time Cobblepot escaped, Batman and Robin—_

The TV was turned off and Artemis blinked in surprise, turning to face her equally surprised friends. Wally put down the remote, and upon receiving their curious looks, shrugged. "What? That's old news. Someone's always accusing Bruce Wayne of abuse. Uncle Barry said it's because he's rich and famous, and people don't have lives."

M'gann bit her lip. "But wouldn't they chose not to investigate if there wasn't reason to be suspicious?"

Wally shook his head. "They have to investigate every claim. Roy said that the kid is seriously sick of being called into the councillor's office to talk about whether or not he's being hurt at home. My guess is that Dick asked Roy to post that video to prove Mr. Wayne's innocence. Or at least cast doubt that he's being abused by the man."

M'gann still looked uneasy, but Kaldur gave her a calm and gentle smile. "While Roy's identity as Red Arrow is no doubt secret to Richard Grayson, I do believe that Roy would help him in every way possible if he suspected that the boy was being abused. He would, at the very least alert Robin to the situation."

As if summoned, Robin walked into the room, the tan from his trip still making his skin glow. "What's up? Why's everybody in here? Did I miss something?"

Wally gave him a megawatt grin. "Nothing Dude. We were just watching some TV when a story on Richard Grayson came up. We were just discussing whether or not we think he's being abused based off of the evidence that was presented."

Robin blinked in surprise. "Okay? Strange topic of choice, but I'll bite. What was the general consensus?"

"We said that if anyone were to know the truth, it would be you."

Robin turned to face M'gann, shock flitted across his face so briefly, that it was easy to miss. Chewing on his bottom lip, Robin gave them a thoughtful look. "I can't say that I know the guy on a deep personal level." Wally muffled a snort behind his hand, and Robin shot him a nasty look. "However, I do know that he trusts me enough to save his life when he's been kidnapped, and that he has reported the suspected abuse of a classmate. I can also tell you that he's fearless when it counts, and that I don't have a single doubt in my mind that he would report the abuse if it were happening. Besides, he's friends with Barbara Gordon."

Seeing the curious looks, Robin rolled his eyes. For a bunch of people that watched Gotham Celebrity Watch, and then proceeded to pretend that they didn't, they sure didn't know a lot about Gotham. "The Police Commissioner's daughter. He hangs out at their place all the time. It would be easy to report Bruce, and the Commissioner is a good man. He'd make sure that Dick was taken care of."

Seeing that everybody was satisfied by his answer, Robin smirked slightly. "Now that that's settled, can we watch a movie? Gotham Celebrity Watch is nice and all, but half of the stories are BS, and don't even get me started on the 'Who's Behind the Robin Mask' segment. I laugh so hard each time that comes on that Batman gets worried that the managed to Joker gass me."

Artemis could feel her cheeks heating up, but turned back to the TV. "Fine. But you need to get everybody popcorn Boy Blunder."

Robin rolled his eyes, but let out a chuckle as he walked into the kitchen. Artemis resettled on the couch and smiled. It was nice watching TV with the whole team. Now if only the TV was actually on. "Are you stupid or what Baywatch? Turn on the TV so we can watch a movie!"

At Wally's indignant squawk, and it could truly only be called a squawk, Artemis smirked. Yes, it was definitely good to be on this team. Especially when they had quiet moments like this to bond.

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 **A/N: After the heaviness and kinda angsty last few chapters, I went for a lighter note. Not that abuse is anything to ever joke about, it's not. However I read this YJ headcanon that said: _When Bruce is being suspected of abusing Dick, Roy or Wally post a video of Dick surfing on the hood of a car before proceeding to fall off_**

 **I didn't see Dick surfing the hood of a car, cause that's kinda illegal, and I didn't want to get Bruce in even more trouble...but swinging off of a chandelier, that's totally a Dick Grayson move.**

 **I really liked this chapter, mostly because it was so different from the last story arc, but I want to know what you think!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW! I'm giving a virtual hug to all those that put in the effort! Have an amazing, fantabulous day!**


	58. Guarding the Prince (Part 1)

**Guarding the Prince (Part 1)**

Robin should have known something was wrong the moment that he realized that Superman was in the cave to give them a mission. If that didn't clue him in, he should have known when Superman kept glancing at him warily, like he expected that Robin was really Batman in disguise. The final clue should have been when Superman cringed, actually cringed, when Robin asked him what he was doing in the cave.

As it was, Robin was too excited to see Superman again to notice these oddities. It was only when the display showed a photo of him as Dick Grayson that Robin realized what was going on. And he glared. Hard.

Superman visibly swallowed before clearing his throat awkwardly. "Um. I have a new mission for you guys. There have been a series of threats made against Bruce Wayne and his son Richard Grayson. I am tasking you guys with protecting them."

Robin's glare intensified. "I assume that you informed Batman of this? Because he won't like this. At all. In fact, I would sleep with one eye open for the next ten to twenty years."

It pleased Robin that Superman looked like he was about to pass out. At least the man was aware of how badly Batman was going to maim him. "I haven't informed Batman yet, Robin. However, as both you and Batman are going to be indisposed, I thought this would be a good mission for the team. The League will take care of the threat, we just need someone we trust to take care of the Waynes until then."

"You should probably inform Batman of your plans before you think anything. He doesn't like other Supers in his city. Not to mention that the villains don't like it. This has bad idea written all over it."

Superman opened his mouth, to say what, Robin didn't know. There wasn't much that he could say at this point. He was past the point of no return on an idea that he knew would have serious repercussions in the form of kryptonite itching powder, or perhaps the kryptonite knuckle rings. It really depended on how Batman was feeling in the moment.

Artemis saved him from having to flounder for an appropriate response. "Two questions. One, why does the League care about threats made against this civilian? This sounds like a job for the local police to me. Two, where are Batman and Robin going to be?"

Robin really wanted to input that the Gotham P.D. was just as likely to hand them over to the bad guy or ransom them as they were to protect them, all things that Artemis should be aware of, but decided to let Superman answer her question. "Batman has previously informed me that very few members of the Gotham P.D. should be trusted. If that weren't reason enough, Bruce Wayne is a major sponsor of the Justice League. In fact, he is the sponsor. He paid for the Watchtower and continues to pay for all the damage repair."

"So the League has a vested interest in keeping him alive."

Superman gave a wry smile, and Robin could see the mirth in his eyes. He really wanted to remind him just how badly his mentor was going to hurt him. Apparently, Superman read the look on his face because he once again paled. "Look. Batman and Robin are needed at the Watchtower for repairs and updates. You guys are totally getting the better deal here. And Robin, for your information, I am highly suggesting that the Team relocates the Waynes to their Metropolis residence for the time being. It will lower the risk significantly, and hopefully prevent me from being seriously hurt."

"I don't know Supes. Why don't Batman and I take care of it. Repairs and updates can wait one or two days for us to take care of it."

"There was a lot of damage done on the exterior thrusters. We need you guys to fix it asap."

Robin knew that he was lying, but he still felt a twinge of panic at the idea. Damage to the external thrusters would be catastrophic. "Fine. Whatever. Anything else?"

"No. Batman wants you to meet him in the Batcave immediately. The rest of the team will have an hour to gather what they need for a week. Good luck."

Superman walked out, and Robin was left wondering just how quickly he should be leaving his team. He needed to go home and get changed and get ready. He neady to make sure that he didn't have lines on his face from his mask, and most importantly, he needed to make sure that he prepared Bruce for what was coming. He'd need Alfred's help, but hopefully an hour would be enough time to startle Bruce out of his brooding.

"Dude!" Robin looked up at Wally, wondering what he was about to say. Wally was anything but predictable. "Have you been to the Watchtower before?"

"Yeah? I helped design it."

"So you've always known of its existence."

"Batman and I are partners. Equals. Besides, he knows that he can't keep secrets from me for long. He did train me to be a detective after all."

"And you didn't think to tell me and Roy?"

Robin wasn't sure what Wally wanted to hear. "Batman said that it was need to know, and you didn't need to know. I don't know why you're questioning me. Flash could've told you. In fact, he could've told you that I helped figure out how to get thing into orbit! Look, I need to go, before B has an aneurysm. I'll see you later."

Robin kept his head up high as he walked to the Zeta Beams without another word. He had stuff to do, and so did the team. And his stress level was already high enough without having to deal with the judgemental stares. The team was very well aware of who his mentor was, and yet they were shocked when he kept secrets and hardly shared.

It didn't matter. He had to go get ready. And he had to prepare Bruce for what was coming. Clark wasn't going to do it. Hence the reason that he gave the team a full hour to get ready. He wanted Dick Grayson to have as much time possible to get Bruce out of his inevitable funk. He kinda hated the man for it. Point was, he had his work cut out for him. Might as well start now.

###

M'gann knocked on the door excitedly. She was at the Wayne Manor! The home of the people that were featured on TV so frequently. When the door opened, an older man was standing there in a tuxedo, a tie tied around his neck perfectly. M'gann wished that she could tell her Bumblebee friends about this. They would love it just as much as she did.

The man raised one unimpressed eyebrow and scanned them all head to toe. M'gann felt slightly unnerved by his gaze, and glanced away. Kaldur stepped forward and stuck out his hand. "My name is Aqualad, and this is my team. The Justice League has assigned us as protection detail for the Wayne family."

"Ah, yes. The Justice League called and informed us of this. They did however, fail to mention that they were sending children. I am Alfred Pennyworth. The Wayne Family butler."

Superboy growled, and M'gann mentally laid a calming hand on his shoulder. The man meant no disrespect. He didn't know how hard they fought for recognition. "We. Are. Not. Kids."

Alfred did not seem at all perturbed by Superboy. He merely rolled his eyes like he was used to that kind of behavior. "My apologies. When you are as old and as experienced in life as I am, you tend to see everyone as children. Do come in."

M'gann followed him in, and gasped at the beautiful foyer that greeted them. Everything looked so regal and expensive, she would have fun exploring. As she protected the family, of course.

Should could feel Artemis' ire before the archer murmured, "How experienced could a butler be?"

Alfred turned around, and raised an eyebrow before disappearing down one of the halls, calling out once to inform them that Master Dick would show them around. M'gann didn't see anyone nearby, but then a cheerful voice said, "Don't let the tux fool you, Alfred is ex-MI6. He's a badass. Just last week, he single handedly brought down a group of robbers. You'd think they would've figured out by now that he doesn't like it when they interrupt dinner."

M'gann realized with a start that the voice was coming from above her. Looking up, she saw Richard Grayson casually sitting in the chandelier, wearing a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a nice pair of jeans.

Giving them a small wave, he jumped down. M'gann thrust her arm out and used her powers to levitate him. Richard looked confused for a moment before he started thrashing. "Let me go! Let me go!"

M'gann cringed as she sat him down. This was not the best way to introduce herself. Especially as he seemed so upset. The second his feet hit the ground, he was straightening her shirt and mumbling to himself. "Not cool. I know how to get down. You don't disrupt an acrobat in the middle of a trick."

He surveyed them, and then wrinkled his nose in distaste. "No Robin? And here I was thinking that this day might actually turn out cool."

M'gann didn't know what to think as Richard turned around and started to walk away. He was obviously disinterested in them, and M'gann felt that that was unusual. Most people were interested in them because of their super powers, but this boy obviously wasn't. She ran to keep up with him. "We were told to relocate you to Metropolis. Would you like my help packing Richard?"

"No. Tell Alfred so that he can pack our stuff. You guys can escort me to Wayne Towers so that I can inform Bruce. And another thing. Don't call me Richard. My name is Dick."

M'gann watched as Richard, Dick, once again walked away from her. This time, she did nothing to stop it. Today was not going as she had imagined it. She wondered how he would act if Robin were in fact there like he had obviously wanted. Maybe he would be more polite. Maybe she could call Robin over the comms later and get some advice.

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 **A/N: Another multi-chapter arc. Didn't see that one coming did you? I certainly didn't. I thought this one would be one chapter. It'll probably three or four chapters. I don't think that it'll be more than that. Less, if I get bored.**

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 **Please review for the sake of my sanity!**

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 **Be on the look out, I will be posting the beginning of a new story either tomorrow or the day after. It is Batman, and not Young Justice, but I'm super excited and I hope you will be too!**


	59. Guarding the Prince (Part 2)

**Guarding Richie Rich (Part 2)**

Dick stood outside of Wayne Tower, staring up at the building with contempt. He had to get Bruce. Bruce was up on the top floor. He just had to get passed all of the people who loved to hate him. And drag his 'bodyguards' along with him. This was going to suck. Royally.

He turned to face Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy, all wearing a civilian get up. Kid Flash and Artemis had stayed behind for obvious reasons. Kid Flash, because Wally West was friends with Dick Grayson, and as far as the team knew, Dick Grayson had no clue that Wally was also a hero. Artemis because Dick Grayson would recognize her.

They looked like average teenagers. Like people Dick could be friends with. If he had friends outside the hero community and Babs. "Stay behind me, and keep your heads down. Don't react to what you'll hear. Keep a poker face."

Aqualad stepped forward, a hand raised to stop Dick from continuing. "I'm afraid I do not understand Richard. What are you so worried about?"

Dick rolled his eyes at the use of his full name. He was more than officially annoyed. "You don't need to understand. Just don't react. Come on. We're wasting time."

Dick strode into the building, his chin held high. It might of come off as arrogant, but Dick was merely trying to fake a sense of confidence that he was truly not feeling. The stares and whispers started immediately. Dick tried not to make it seem like he was rushing to the elevator bank. Even if he was.

Of course, the elevator took forever to arrive. He could hear the whispers. The insults. And judging by how tense his friends were, they could too.

"Calm down Superboy."

"Do you hear what they're saying? They're calling you a—"

"I've heard it all before. Believe me when I say this is mild."

He could feel their surprised looks on the back of his neck. In a harsh whisper he answered all the unasked questions. "Look. the celebrity shows and magazines make me out to be a huge deal. Bruce is the White Knight of Gotham. The Prince. I'm his adopted son or whatever. His heir. People don't like the fact that I'm not actually related to him. It doesn't matter what they think. What matters is that we're a family. Or at least that's what Bruce says."

The elevator door finally opened, and Dick rushed in. Unfortunately, a couple of men in suits entered before the door could fully close. They took one look at him and sneered. So much for a peaceful elevator ride.

"He's gonna get bored and ditch you Circus Freak."

Dick kept his face carefully blank, so the man continued. "Everybody knows it. There's a giant betting pool going around Gotham High Society. My bet's that he gets rid of you before the end of the year. Don't disappoint me. Besides, everybody knows that you're just some sort of phase for Brucie. That he wanted to try and be somebody's daddy before he knocked someone up. Or was that your mother? She was married, but that's never stopped Bruce before. You look a lot like him. Did he knock up your mommy? Was she a whore?"

Dick knew that his ears were flushed with anger, and that the man could probably see his teeth grinding. He also knew that M'gann or Conner were going to say something if he didn't. Neither option sounded good, which meant that he would have to speak. "You know for a phase, it sure has lasted a long time. I mean, he took me in when I was eight. I'm thirteen know, so five years. Five whole years. That's longer than any of you have had this job. And with the rate you're going, gossiping instead of working, you won't be working here for another five. And just so we're clear. Bruce adopted me. It's kinda hard to get rid of me at this point, so you might want to change your bet. Oh. And if you ever so much as mention my mother again, I will tell Bruce to look at the security footage from camera thirty five at 3:55 p.m. on Monday the fifteenth of March. I'm not sure you realize, but the cameras here do have audio. Bruce doesn't actually check the footage, but he will if I ask him to. And let's be perfectly clear here. He would not only fire you for this, he would ruin you. So it's probably best if you never speak of my mother again. For the record, my mother was the classiest lady I've ever known. And that includes your 'Gotham High Society'. Just FYI."

The elevator dinged, and Dick noted with a small sigh of relief that it was their stop. "Well gentlemen, I would say that it's been a pleasure, but it hasn't. Let's go guys."

It took until after the elevator doors were closed and they were half way across the lobby before anybody spoke, which was far longer than Dick expected. He supposed they were showing restraint like he had asked. "What just happened? Are you going to tell Mr. Wayne?"

Dick eyed M'gann out of the corner of his eyes. "Nobody will tell Bruce anything about this. It's not his problem, and he'll just end worrying. Again."

"I thought you were supposed to report bullying to an adult. And, I'm pretty sure that Bruce Wayne can get rid of the problem. Literally."

Dick sighed and rubbed his at his eyes. They were almost at Bruce's office. He needed to be sure that they weren't going to blab. "If he fired everybody that ever insulted me, he would have to fire everybody in this damn building. Believe it or not, they will eventually get the memo that I'm Bruce's sole heir, which means that I'll be their boss. It's only a matter of time before they're all sucking up to me."

Kaldur looked at him, as if he was trying to see something in the very depths of his soul. "I do not believe that you should have to tolerate their actions until then."

"It's my life Aqualad. My life, my choice. Don't say anything to Bruce. Or I swear I'll get you guys thrown off the protection detail. Something tells me Batman will not be happy." The shock on their face made him roll his eyes. "What? Robin and I do talk after he saves my life. Tells me all about your little team. My favorite part was the fact that Kid Flash had no idea that Supermartian was a thing. Oh. And the fact that he has no idea that he's in love with Artemis. You know, he kind of reminds me of my friend Wally West. He's a lovable idiot too."

Dick didn't give his friends a moment to respond before saying, "Look! There's Bruce's office!"

Dick ignored Bruce's secretary yelling that he was in a meeting. The only person that he was set to meet today was Lucius, who wouldn't mind. There was just one small, tiny, little problem. He had never called Bruce to prepare him for the ambush coming his way. He hadn't wanted to ruin the surprise. Or incur the man's wrath. Which he probably did by not telling the man.

Throwing the doors open with the dramatic flair that only a son could have, Dick marched in like he owned the place. Or like his father owned the place. Which he did. So it was his prerogative to march into the office like that.

Bruce raised a single eyebrow upon seeing him. Dick could see the way his muscles minutely relaxed, and knew that the man had been ready to charge him. The other eyebrow joined the first the second the man registered the three people behind him.

"Bruce. Superman says we're, well I'm, in danger and assigned the Justice League wannabes to protect us. Apparently, Robin's busy, which totally sucks because he was the only cool part about this whole thing. Oh, and they want us to relocate."

Bruce was silent for a moment before a slight frown graced his lips. It was nowhere near the darkness of the Batglare, and only served to show his displeasure. "Superman? I thought Batman was the one who assigned the missions?" Once again shocked looks were exchanged, although, Dick was smirking slightly. "What? You're not the only one that Robin likes to talk to."

"Maybe he would talk less if he got to talk to more people other than Batman."

And so started another staring contest between Dick and Bruce. It was an intense battle of wills that would leave only one victor. Lucius let out a small laugh, breaking Dick's concentration, and leaving Bruce the ultimate winner. This time. Dick would win next time for certain. "Bruce. Dick. I think you're about to give your protection detail an aneurysm. Perhaps we should reschedule this meeting for next week. You two should do what these young heroes ask of you. I'd prefer not to hear on the news that I'll have to visit you two in the hospital."

Dick soluted, his face momentarily serious. "Sir, yes sir!"

"Get out of here, you Brat. And take Bruce with you. And please don't give Alfred a hard time. You know that he worries."

Dick waved goodbye as he dragged Bruce out of the office and towards the elevator. Their 'protection' trailing behind them. They were almost at the elevator, when Dick felt a shift in the air. He cocked his head slightly, and saw that Bruce was doing the same thing. There were too many people on this floor. And none of them were employees.

They gave each other slight nods, and Dick made a mad dash for the corner desk, using it to launch himself up and to the air vent, hastily climbing inside of it. Bruce, meanwhile, threw his briefcase at the nearest 'employee' ducking out of the way of another flying punch. The Young Justice team sprung into action then. Bruce punched another guy in the gut, and ducked out of the way. The team could handle this.

He heard Dick give a yelp, and turned just in time to watch somebody drag Dick out of the air vent. The boy's knee was hanging awkwardly. The guy must have somehow dislocated it. Bruce wanted to get to him, but he couldn't. Not right now at least. There were too many people between him and Dick. And the team seemed to be busy fighting the rest of the guys.

The guy held up Dick by the armpits, a gloating expression on his face. Dick used his good knee to kick him where it hurt. Hard. Bruce had never been prouder of his son. The boy was dropped, and he once again shouted in pain as he landed.

The man got up, ready to kill Dick, and Bruce shouted a warning. Somebody tackled Bruce from behind, and he was thrown down on the ground, his head hitting the corner of a table on the way down. Blood blurred his vision as Bruce flipped himself around and punched the guy on top of him in the face.

He managed to watch as Conner saved Dick from the man before he lost consciousness. He just hoped that the team was smart enough to bring them back to the manor and not the hospital.

###

Kaldur looked down at their two charges. Both had injuries, and Bruce was unconscious. Dick kept moaning in pain, and Kaldur knew that they both needed medical attention. "Dick. Where is the nearest hospital or medical facility?"

The boy ground his teeth and shook his head. "No. They'll expect us to go there. Ambush waiting. Go to the manor. Alfred was a field medic. If he can't handle it, he'll call for backup."

Logically it was a sound plan. He just hoped that it would not be a mistake. "M'gann. Call your ship. Conner, break the window. Going out the front door will draw too much attention."

They immediately did as he asked. The bioship arrived within minutes. M'gann levitated them all into the ship carefully, fully aware that Dick was freaking out slightly. It was a tense ten minutes before they were at the manor. Dick just kept groaning and clutching his leg. It was odd, because when Artemis and Robin got injured, they just hissed before they fell silent. It made M'gann appreciate her teammates high pain threshold. Though a dislocated knee looked very painful.

When they landed, the butler came out, took one look and raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Master Dick. When I told you to fetch Master Bruce, I hardly implied that you two should get into a fight with Batman."

"It wasn't Batman."

Alfred looked at Conner with a droll expression. "Indeed. If you would be kind enough to bring them inside. I will relocate that knee for you Master Dick."

Bruce groaned next to him and sat up, a dried trail of blood staining the side of his face. He blinked, and Dick knew that his vision was foggy just by the way that Bruce was looking at him. Finally, the older man groaned and sank back down. "I have a concussion. I assume that there aren't actually three of you."

"Nope. Just one of me. Unless your looking at past, present, and future me, in which case there are actually three."

"I can't deal with this right now. Please Richard. No teenage logic."

Dick pouted, but refrained from sticking his tongue out as Conner lifted him up and carried him inside. Alfred was waiting, and the man hardly gave Dick any warning before he reset his knee. Dick shouted. He ground his teeth before glaring at the butler. "No pain medication? No warning? What kind of place are you running here?"

"Apologies Master Dick. The pain medication tends to make you loopy, and considering what just happened, I figured it'd be best if you weren't mentally indisposed. Now hold still so that I can splint this knee. I expect that you know that you will be on crutches for the next few weeks?"

Dick didn't respond right away, too busy staring at wear Bruce was grinning dopily at Artemis. Dick really couldn't tell whether or not his mentor was faking it at this point. "Your hair is pretty. You wear it in a ponytail like this girl Artemis who goes to Dick's school. She's on a scholarship. Silena has pretty hair too. I like to touch it. Her hair always smells good. So does Lois', but I only touch it to annoy that reporter Clark Kent. It's not my fault that he's too shy to ask her out." And now, Dick was certain that his mentor was faking it.

Giving Alfred his best smile, Dick gestured towards Bruce. "You should probably go check out his head before he gives away who I have a crush on."

"You have a crush? I always knew you had a thing for redheads, but I missed you actually liking someone!"

Dick really did not appreciate that comment, and made his pleasure known by 'accidentally' stumbling with the crutches and stepping on Bruce's toes. If the glare was anything to go on, the man had received his message loud and clear. Now if only Wally would stop looking at him like that.

It took another half an hour before Alfred was satisfied that Bruce wasn't secretly suffering a major brain bleed. And another half an hour after that for them to get all their stuff. It was only after they were loaded in the bioship with M'gann chatting cheerfully, that Dick allowed himself to feel. To stare at the fading image of the manor and cry. To lean his head against the window, close his eyes, and drift off to sleep.

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 **A/N: So that's that. I hope it lived up to the hype. If you haven't seen it, I posted a new story which will hopefully be updated at some point this week. Probably. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, and I hope that you review!**

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 **How are you guys feeling about the upcoming TITANS live action TV show? Personally, I'll watch at the very least, the first few episodes. I'm just worried I'll be disappointed. Then again, I do enjoy cheesy TV when I don't feel well, so I might end up watching the whole series, even if I don't originally like it.**


	60. Guarding the Prince (Part 3)

**Guarding the Prince (Part 3)**

Dick hated Metropolis. Well, that wasn't completely true. He really did love Metropolis. He loved anything to do with Superman. He just didn't want to be here. Especially when it had to do with something as arbitrary as a threat against his life. It wasn't like it hadn't happened before, the real question was what was so different about this time. Why did Superman care now? He had always allowed the Bats to handle this kind of thing before.

And a better question? Why did they have to come to Metropolis? The manor had insane security. Not to mention the Bat Bunker. And there were plenty of safe houses in Gotham, so why did Superman suggest coming all the way to Metropolis? The team wouldn't question his orders like Robin would, so his motives would never be analyzed.

Dick really needed to talk to Bruce about the thoughts swirling around in his head, but he needed to get rid of his stupid friends to do so. Maybe Alfred could drug them or something. It would serve them right for accepting this mission. Even if they had no clue what shitstorm they were entering. Dick supposed that he couldn't blame them. But he could trick them.

"Bruce, crezi că înțeleg romii?" _Bruce, do you think they understand Romani?_

Bruce cocked his head slightly and glanced at the confused looks that the team was shooting his son. Careful to make sure that he had an 'American' accent while he spoke, Bruce said, "Nu. Ce ai trebuit să-mi spui fără să știe prietenii tăi?" _No. What do you want to say to me without your friends knowing?_

"Există ceva despre această misiune. De ce trebuie să fim în Metropolis din toate locurile. Ceva îmi spune că Clark păstrează secrete." _There is something about this mission. Why do we have to go to Metropolis of all places? Something tells me that Clark is keeping secrets._

"Stiu. Știe consecințele acțiunilor sale, așa că trebuie să aibă un motiv bun." _I know. He knows the consequences of his actions, so he must have a damn good reason._

"Crezi că știe cine a făcut amenințarea?" _Think he knows who made the threat?_

"M-aș paria pe asta." _I'd bet on it._

When a new voice broke their conversation, Dick jumped slightly. "Tinerii Maestri, este destul de nepoliticos să vorbești într-o altă limbă în prezența celor care nu o înțeleg. Dacă nu a fost un stimulent suficient, echipa de eroi tineri devine suspicios și neliniștită." _Young Masters, it is quite rude to talk in another language in the presence of those who do not understand it. If that wasn't a great enough incentive, the team of young heroes is getting suspicious and restless._

Dick gave Alfred a cowed look. Oops. Apparently subtle wasn't his thing. Letting his natural accent slip out a little, Dick gave an apologetic smile to the team. "I'm sorry. Bruce and I have only begun speaking english full time recently. I still slip when I'm excited or stressed, which doesn't really help the bullying."

Artemis was the first to react. She narrowed her eyes like she knew that he was lying, which was impossible. Dick was a really good liar. "What language was that?"

"My native language. Romani. Bruce started learning it when he started looking into taking me in. I didn't speak much english back then."

M'gann perked up. "Oh! I just learned english! I used to only speak Martian! I learned by watching Earth TV shows. How did you learn?"

"Well I learned a little when I was a member of the circus. I learned more from the place the system stuck me at. I didn't really get access to a TV until Bruce took me in, and at that point I was far more interested in exploring and trying out the gym equipment that Bruce bought for me."

M'gann seemed to deflate slightly, and Dick almost felt bad. Almost. Meeting your favorite celebrities never turned out well. "Oh."

Giving her a forcefully warm smile, Dick turned to face Bruce. "How's the Metropolis apartment stocked? I mean is there gym equipment? How many rooms? Is there a TV?"

Wally gave Dick a weird look. "Dude. Haven't you been there before? I mean, it's your house."

Dick rolled his eyes. "No. Bruce stays there when he has business in Metropolis. I stay in Gotham with Alfred because I have school. When I go to Metropolis it's usually because Bruce has a business trip in a different country and Alfred is going with him. I stay with my Uncle Clark."

"I was not aware that Mr. Wayne had a brother."

Dick looked at Kaldur in surprise. It was the first time that the leader of teen heroes had addressed him in quite a while. "He's not my real Uncle. He's Bruce's friend."

When Dick didn't add any more information, Bruce let out a small sigh. "To answer your earlier question Dick, it's a penthouse. Two-stories, five bedrooms, a rooftop pool, and a mini gym. And before you ask, yes there are uneven bars, rings, and a pommel horse."

"Have I ever told you just how much I love you?"

"Yes, and I'd prefer it if there was not a repeat."

"You're no fun."

Bruce rolled his eyes, but one corner of his lips twitched up into a small smirk making his amusement clear. "Oh? I'll remember that the next time I'm shopping for your birthday."

Dick gave a mock gasp, a hand flying up to cover his mouth. In a voice that clearly showed that he was close to laughter Dick said, "How dare you? You went to far. Threatening my birthday presents, what kind of monster are you?"

"The kind that can ground you if you continue speaking that line of thought."

Dick huffed and crossed his arms. Bruce was no fun, though it was probably a good thing that Bruce put an end to this debate. His teammates were staring at him like he had grown a second head. Which was understable when he remembered that his friends watched trashy celebrity gossip shows.

Dick's musing was cut short when he saw the high rises of Metropolis appeared. It wasn't just him, everybody else fell silent too. Apparently, they all felt the magnitude of the situation. As soon as they arrived in Metropolis it all became real. Which meant it was time to get serious.

###

It took ten minutes for the team to secure the penthouse. It took even longer for them to figure out how to divvy up the five bedrooms. The team wanted to share rooms with Dick and Bruce in case there was another attack. Dick wasn't so thrilled with that idea and neither was Bruce.

In the end, they didn't get much of a choice though. Especially not with Alfred backing up the team. Nobody would ever win a battle of wills against Alfred. Dick did however, manage to get alone time to make a phone call. "Bruce, I'm going to call Ms. Lane and let her know that I won't attend classes for a few days."

Bruce gave him a nod, and Dick walked away taking his phone out of his pocket. He had to play this carefully. Conner could be able to hear his side of the conversation. He would need Lois to lead the conversation where he wanted it to go. He wasn't that worried. He had pulled off harder things before.

She picked up on the third ring. "Lane."

"Hello Ms. Lane. This is Dick Grayson. I just wanted to tell you that I'd be in Metropolis in a few days due to threats that were made against me."

"Oh? Are they credible?"

"Credible enough for Superman to request our immediate relocation. And for the sidekick team to guard us 24/7."

"Sounds interesting. Any idea who made the threats?"

"Nope. Though I am curious. Must be one hell of a threat for this much fuss."

Lois let out a small laugh and then a sigh. "Tell you what, I was just looking for a good story to make the headlines. I'll let you know what I find, and send you and your father a copy of the article I write for your approval."

"Thank you. You're a lifesaver."

"Duh. You should see what I have to do for Clark. That man is always running off somewhere."

"No kidding. You should see what happens when he babysits me."

"Oh Dick. I do so enjoy our conversations, but I really have to go. I have a story to investigate."

Dick smiled when she hung up without so much as a goodbye. By the end of the night, he would know who made the threats against him and Bruce. And perhaps, with that information, he would know what exactly was going on with Superman. All he had to do was wait.

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 **A/N: Well that was kinda shorter than I wanted, but I figured that it was better to publish something than nothing at all. I hope you liked it. The Romani is really Romanian, and it is from Google Translate. So if you speak Romanian and find something weird, it is not my fault. I don't speak a lick of Romanian, so...**

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 **PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!**


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